“Cyberattacks in the aviation sector have increased by 600% over the past year, according to a recent report by French aerospace company Thales.”
Over the weekend a cyber incident sent shockwaves across Europe’s aviation sector, causing chaos at major airports from London Heathrow to Berlin and Brussels. While the immediate headlines were about flight delays and frustrated passengers, for every UK business, this incident serves as a critical and urgent lesson in digital risk management. It’s a powerful reminder that in our interconnected world, a single cyber weakness can have devastating real-world consequences for your operations, your revenue, and your reputation.
An attack on the supply chain
This was not an attack that hit airports directly. Instead, hackers targeted a third-party software provider, Collins Aerospace, which supplies its “MUSE” check-in and boarding system to hundreds of airlines and airports worldwide. This common-use system is designed for efficiency, but as cybersecurity experts have warned, it also creates a single point of failure. When the system was disrupted, it triggered a cascade of problems forcing airports to revert to slow, manual check-in processes.
For businesses, this is an important takeaway: your reliance on third-party vendors is one of your greatest vulnerabilities. An attacker doesn’t need to breach your company’s network to cripple your operations. They only need to find a weakness in your supply chain – in the software you use, the services you rely on, or the suppliers you partner with. This is a calculated strategy that turns a small-scale attack into a large-scale, systemic crisis.
Your action plan: from lessons to resilience
The chaos at Europe’s airports should compel every business to ask itself, “what if this happened to us?” A purely reactive cybersecurity strategy is no longer sufficient. You must adopt a proactive, advisory-led approach that focuses on building resilience. Here’s what you should do:
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Audit your digital supply chain: Do you have a comprehensive inventory of all third-party software and vendors you rely on? Our team can help you identify and assess the digital footprint of your entire supply chain, uncovering potential risks and vulnerabilities before they are exploited.
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Implement a robust backup and recovery plan: A strong backup system is your last line of defence. The airlines that were able to implement manual workarounds had planned for system failure. You need a clear, tested plan for business continuity that guarantees your mission-critical data and operations can be restored quickly, no matter the cause of the disruption.
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Access to specialised expertise: We understand that a lot of businesses, especially SMEs, don’t have the resources to maintain a dedicated, in-house team of cybersecurity experts. By partnering with a managed service provider, you gain access to a team of certified professionals who are constantly monitoring for threats and staying ahead of the latest attack methods.
At DCP, we understand that protecting your business requires a holistic strategy. As a leading UK data centre and managed services provider, we combine resilient infrastructure with comprehensive cybersecurity expertise.
We offer security consulting to help you develop a robust cybersecurity framework, from policy creation to risk management. Our 24/7 threat detection and response services ensure that any suspicious activity – whether from within your network or a third-party vendor – is identified and neutralised immediately. Most importantly, we provide secure infrastructure and cloud solutions that are designed for maximum resilience, giving you the foundation to withstand a crisis.
Cyber security is no longer just an IT problem – it is a boardroom issue. Call us on 0161 464 6101 or email hello@datacentreplus.co.
