Criminals publish data of 8.7m people after airports hack

Criminal hackers have released the personal data of nearly nine million individuals online, following a breach at three UK airports. Manchester Airports Group (MAG) was the target of the hackers, who demanded an undetermined ransom but were unsuccessful in receiving payment. The airports affected include Manchester, London Stansted, and East Midlands, and those customers are now being cautioned about potential secondary attacks due to the data's availability to other criminals.

Mag has assured the public that they have taken appropriate steps to safeguard their customers' information and have reached out to those with upcoming bookings to provide additional support.

The data breach exposed contact details, vehicle registrations, and postcodes, along with information from databases containing Wi-Fi login details and car parking information. The cyber-crime group, whose identity the BBC is not disclosing, has made the entire data set accessible for free to other criminals through their website. The hackers have released the Manchester Group database, consisting of half a terabyte of personally identifiable information (PII).

Data experts at HaveIBeenPwned have confirmed that the leaked data includes email addresses, phone numbers, addresses, license plate numbers, purchasing history, and browsing device data. Cyber-security expert Kevin Beaumont has advised those affected to remain vigilant for additional scams and hacks, particularly for high-profile or wealthy individuals.

Beaumont warned that the data contains both historical and planned travel information, which may require individuals to take precautionary measures to protect their privacy.

The cyber criminals' website hosting the stolen MAG data is accessible on the clear internet rather than the typically hidden dark net, making it easier for other criminals to access the information and increasing the risk to victims. As well as sharing the stolen data, the hackers boasted about their methods of breaching the victims using the same technique each time - exploiting weaknesses in how companies store their digital keys for internal networks.