This Might Be the REAL Reason Behind Your Recent Flight Delay

A lot of things can delay a flight, and we’ve all been there, at least if you’ve flown more than a few times.

Southwest Planes at Orlando International Airport

Sometimes, delays happen because bad weather is causing issues. Sometimes, delays are for weird reasons (no joke…in Orlando once saw flight delays due to a dead armadillo on the runway). Sometimes, delays are due to technical issues. However, a NEW delay reason has erupted its nasty head…ransomware, which was responsible for recent flight disruptions in Europe.

According to Reuters, recent airport disruptions across Europe that affected automated check-in systems were caused by a ransomware attack. The EU’s cybersecurity agency also emphasized that this is a growing risk to critical infrastructure and industries, including airlines.

MCO Airport

Ransomware is a form of malware that locks up data until the victim pays to have it restored. Once the code is loaded on a computer, users will be locked out of the computer itself or specific data stored on it. Some versions of ransomware can even affect networked computers.

Some of Europe’s biggest airports, including Brussels and London Heathrow, faced issues after hackers knocked out the automated check-in systems provided by Collins Aerospace. In the end, dozens of flights, as well as thousands of passengers, were unable to fly. The incident is currently being investigated by law enforcement.

Baggage claim at MCO!

These attacks are generally targeted at high-profile victims, in this case, a company that provides software to several airlines that operate in Europe. Although these attacks aren’t happening more often, they are becoming more visible because of those who are targeted.

Stay tuned to DFB for more.

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Should airlines be more concerned about such attacks? Let us know in the comments!