Stansted Airport hit by cyber attack exposing customer data

A major airport in Essex has been hit by a cyber attack, exposing "a quantity of customer data".

Manchester Airports Group, which owns and operates Stansted Airport, confirmed the incident this morning.

The unauthorised third party gained access to data related to car park, lounge, and Fast Track bookings, as well as in-airport WIFI sign-ups.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the company said: "We immediately contained the risk and have been working with specialist advisors and taking appropriate steps to protect our customers and systems.

"We have informed and are working with the relevant authorities.

"At no point has passenger safety or aviation security been compromised."

The airport's operations remain unaffected and customer parking services continue to operate normally.

However, the attack has led to the temporary suspension of their online 'Manage My Booking' service.

The specific customer data accessed includes email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registrations, and postcodes.

Importantly, no bank or payment details were compromised in the breach.

The airport has moved quickly to reassure customers, who have been contacted directly by Stansted.

The spokesperson added: "We would like to reassure customers that Manchester Airport Group takes the security of customer information extremely seriously and we apologise for any inconvenience or concern caused."

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The airport has also issued a warning for customers to remain vigilant for suspicious emails, text messages, or phone calls, to avoid clicking on unexpected links or attachments, and to seek further guidance on data breach issues.

They emphasised that the Manchester Airports Group will never customers unexpectedly to request payment card details, banking information, or passwords.

For those with upcoming bookings, the airport assures that all bookings remain valid and unaffected by this incident.

The company has taken immediate steps to further secure customer data, including restricting access to affected systems and engaging specialist cyber security experts.

Their data protection team is overseeing the response to ensure all actions taken are thorough and in line with legal obligations.