A cyberattack targeting major European airports has left travellers across the continent facing delays and confusion. .The attack, which impacted airport boarding and check-in systems, started this morning at airports from London to Berlin. .The airports impacted have stated that the attack was on the check-in and boarding service providers, rather than the airlines or airports themselves. .American company Collins Aerospace, the provider of the check-in and boarding software, stated that a "cyber-related disruption" caused system outages and other issues in European airports earlier Saturday. .Collins Aerospace says that they are, "actively working to restore full functionality as quickly as possible”, however no timeline for restoration has been released..Airports impacted included London, Berlin and Brussels while airports in Dublin and Cork also reported some minor disruptions. .With systems down, airport staff were forced to revert to manually checking in passengers and providing boarding passes. This led to longer than normal check-in times, which in turn caused the delays. .Due to the over-reliance by modern airports on self-check-in kiosks, the sudden disruption caused a backlog due to the manual check-ins, a system that not all airport employees were familiar with. .Brussels Airport appears to be the most affected, with airport spokesperson, Ihsane Chioua Lekhli, stating that at least nine flights were cancelled, four were diverted to other airports, and 15 were delayed by at least an hour. .London and Berlin reported delays, but said that no flights had been canceled as a result of the attack. .It is not yet clear who or what was behind the attack, with experts saying it's far too early to know for certain which parties were involved. However, this hasn't stopped people from speculating that the attack may come from Russia. .Suspecting the attack to emanate from Russia is not without historical precedent. Russian military intelligence has a long history of targeting European cyber infrastructure in similar instances, such as the 2017 Petya malware attack. .This attack could be perceived as Russia testing European airport e-infrastructure, or a kind of "shot across the bow" from Russian hackers. .The targeting of an American company could also be a sign of Russian interference, as it could be viewed as an undermining of Western logistics and supply chains. .The target of the attack, Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of defence technology company RTX Corp., formerly Raytheon Technologies, is also a major American defence contractor, which could be seen as another reason for Russian involvement. .As of now, no group or party has taken credit for the attack, and no information has been made public about where the attack may have come from. .It is also not clear whether any data was stolen or information lost as a result of the attack. Airports have said that a return to normal check-in and boarding procedures may extend into Sunday. .Whatever the cause or the perpetrator, the attack has shown one major issue: the fragility of European airport e-security. .The dependence on external software providers, like Collins Aerospace, shows that an attack on the supplier can have far-reaching effects across multiple airports. .With the full effects of the attack still unknown, and disruptions expected to continue throughout the weekend, European travellers will still have to wait for check-in and boarding services to return to normal.
