Cyber attacks are unfortunately very common on the internet, we’ve all seen the odd Phishing email in our inboxes or a scam call on the phone. However, sometimes larger-scale cyber attacks can occur too. Birmingham Airport’s recent Cyber attack is a good example of this. Read our blog to find out about the effects of the attack and how it was handled.
Birmingham Airport’s Cyber Attack
London City Airport’s website went down shortly before 3 pm on Wednesday, coinciding with an apparent claim of a hack by pro-Russia UserSec.
A short while later Anonymous Russia claimed to have launched a similar attack on Birmingham Airport’s website.
A spokesperson for the airport said: “Some people have reported our website has been loading slowly this afternoon. We are investigating.
The effects of the attack
The Russian hacker group posted a message online after the attack, taking credit for it:
“Anonymous Russia joins the attack on UK airport! Before your eyes, the sleeping international British airport Birmingham! Glory to Russia,”
Arrival and departure boards suggest that services into and out of both are running smoothly.
It is also not clear what the exact intention of the claimed hacks is and why UK airports specifically would be targeted.
However, this follows a recent trend since June when a Russian hacker group launched attacks on several UK Schools. We made a blog about this if you’d like to learn more here.
This increased activity in cyber attacks poses a threat for not just Birmingham, but the whole of the UK.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the cyber attack on Birmingham Airport serves as a stark reminder of the ever-increasing threat posed by cybercriminals in our technologically-driven world. The incident showcased that hacker groups like “Anonymous Russian” are capable, and even worse, motivated to launch cyber attacks on critical infrastructure.
Additionally, we should stay on an air of caution for any future attacks, as their motive is unclear, which makes them even more of a potential danger.
However, airports aren’t the only infrastructure at risk. Hospitals, schools and businesses are in just as much danger from a cyber attack. This is why we can’t stress enough that your business/organisation has its IT infrastructure managed, internally or externally.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this blog. Be sure to watch out for our future weekly blog releases, which cover almost everything from recent IT News to our own Knowledgebase articles. Thanks for reading!
