Hackers have published personal data of a judge, politicians, celebrities, and defense workers on the dark web following a cyberattack on three UK airports last month. The data, stolen from an estimated 8.7 million customers of Manchester, Stansted, and East Midlands airports, was released online this week.
The publication occurred after the airports' operator refused to meet the cyber-extortion group FulcrumSec's demand for an undisclosed ransom payment. The stolen information includes sensitive travel details linked to a circuit judge, parliamentary workers, Home Office and Bank of England staff, and members of the Armed Forces. Numerous email addresses purporting to belong to celebrities and Premier League footballers were also found among the released records.
FulcrumSec claims the data obtained included a judge's airport booking made using an official judicial email address, as well as a Bank of England official's vehicle registration and upcoming travel plans, and a Home Office employee's number plate and future travel details. The group stated that it withheld records detailing the future travel plans of nearly 200,000 passengers due to the security risks they posed, attributing the leak to the airport operator's refusal to pay.
The cyberattack on Manchester Airports Group (MAG) occurred on August 22 and 23, with MAG confirming the incident on August 27. According to MAG, the hackers gained access through car park, lounge, and fast-track bookings, as well as through passengers signing up for in-airport Wi-Fi. The operator has stated that no banking or payment details were compromised.
MAG has alerted customers to be vigilant for potential scams and to be cautious of unexpected communications claiming to be from the airport. The company stated it has contained the risk, is working with specialist advisers, and has informed relevant authorities. MAG assured that passenger safety and aviation security were not compromised, airport operations remain unaffected, and customer parking services are operating normally.