Man arrested in connection with cyber-attack on airports

A man has been charged in connection with a cyber-attack that has caused days of disruption at several European airports, including Heathrow.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) announced that a man in his forties was arrested in West Sussex as "part of an investigation into a cyber-attack that has affected Collins Aerospace." Hundreds of flights have been delayed after the company's baggage and check-in software, used by several airlines, failed. Some passengers were checked in with pen and paper.

"While this arrest is a positive step, the investigation into this crime is still in its early stages and remains ongoing," said Paul Foster, the head of the NCA's national cyber-crime unit.

The man was arrested on Tuesday evening on suspicion of breaching the Computer Misuse Act and has since been released on bail. The BBC has received an internal memo from Heathrow Airport staff detailing the difficulties Collins Aerospace is having with bringing its check-in software back online. After attempting a relaunch on Monday, the US company seems to be rebuilding the system again. The BBC has contacted Collins Aerospace for a comment.

The US corporation has not provided an estimated date for when the system will be ready and is advising ground handlers and airlines to prepare for at least another week of manual workarounds. At Heathrow, additional staff have been deployed in terminals to assist passengers and check-in operators, but flights are still experiencing delays.

The EU's cyber-security service stated on Monday that ransomware had been deployed in the attack. This type of malware is often used to severely disrupt victims' networks, with a ransom typically demanded in cryptocurrency to repair the damage. Organised cyber-crime syndicates are earning hundreds of millions of pounds in ransoms every year from such attacks on companies across the country.

Days of Disruption

On Friday night, a threat against US software manufacturer Collins Aerospace was discovered, causing disruption at several European airports, including those in Brussels, Dublin, and Berlin. Flights were cancelled and delayed throughout the weekend, with some airports still suffering from the backlog.

Heathrow Airport said in a tweet on its website, "The vast majority of flights at Heathrow are operating as normal, but passengers are encouraged to check the status of their flight before travelling to the airport." On Wednesday morning, Berlin Airport said that "check-in and boarding are still largely manual," which could result in "longer processing times, delays, and airline cancellations." Brussels Airport has also urged passengers to check in online before arriving at the terminal.

According to a study by French aerospace company Thales, cyber-attacks in the aviation industry have grown by 600% in the last year. To stay up to date with the world's top tech news and trends, you can sign up for the Tech Decoded newsletter.