Additional Coverage:
A man in his 40s was arrested Tuesday evening in West Sussex, England, on suspicion of computer misuse following a cyberattack that disrupted several European airports last weekend. The attack, first reported on September 19th, caused flight disruptions at London’s Heathrow and other airports.
While the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed the arrest, the suspect has since been released on conditional bail. Deputy Director Paul Foster, head of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit, called the arrest a “positive step,” but stressed that the investigation is still in its early stages. He emphasized the ongoing and significant threat of cybercrime, stating that the NCA and its partners remain committed to mitigating this threat to protect the public.
This incident follows a recent trend of cyberattacks targeting the airline industry. In July, Australian airline Qantas reported a cybersecurity breach affecting millions of customer profiles.
Shortly after, the FBI issued a warning about “Scattered Spider,” a cybercriminal group employing social engineering tactics to compromise airline systems. The FBI cautioned that this group frequently impersonates employees or contractors to gain access and bypass multifactor authentication.
They specifically warned that anyone within the “airline ecosystem,” including vendors and contractors, could be vulnerable.