The central government has confirmed reports that seven major airports across India were targeted by cyber attacks, leading to disruptions at key aviation hubs. The confirmation follows reports of technical anomalies, including the spoofing of navigational systems, at several big airports nationwide.
According to a report from Matrubhumi, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu informed the Parliament that flights approaching these airports reported GPS spoofing while using GPS-based landing procedures at Runway 10 of the IGI Airport in Delhi. The government acknowledged that the airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru were among those affected by the cybersecurity incidents.
GPS spoofing reported, says government
The primary mode of the cyber attack involved the reported spoofing of Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, particularly affecting flights approaching the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. GPS spoofing occurs when false GPS signals are broadcast to receivers, misleading aircraft navigation systems about their actual position and altitude.
Despite the serious nature of the cyber attack, the government emphasised that no flight operations were disrupted or cancelled due to the GPS spoofing. Contingency measures and continued security protocols ensured that air traffic control systems maintained stability, allowing flights to operate without interruption.
Security on high alert
While flight operations remained
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"id": "AIR1764590801",
"linkid": "airportsauthorityofindia",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "12/2025",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "6",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the economy of geographical region"{'incident': {'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': None,
'industry': 'aviation',
'location': 'Delhi, India',
'name': 'Indira Gandhi International '
'Airport (IGI Airport)',
'size': None,
'type': 'airport'},
{'customers_affected': None,
'industry': 'aviation',
'location': 'Mumbai, India',
'name': 'Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj '
'International Airport',
'size': None,
'type': 'airport'},
{'customers_affected': None,
'industry': 'aviation',
'location': 'Kolkata, India',
'name': 'Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose '
'International Airport',
'size': None,
'type': 'airport'},
{'customers_affected': None,
'industry': 'aviation',
'location': 'Hyderabad, India',
'name': 'Rajiv Gandhi International '
'Airport',
'size': None,
'type': 'airport'},
{'customers_affected': None,
'industry': 'aviation',
'location': 'Bengaluru, India',
'name': 'Kempegowda International Airport',
'size': None,
'type': 'airport'},
{'customers_affected': None,
'industry': 'aviation',
'location': 'India',
'name': 'Two additional unnamed airports',
'size': None,
'type': 'airport'}],
'attack_vector': 'GPS signal spoofing (false GPS signals '
'broadcast to mislead aircraft navigation '
'systems)',
'data_breach': {'data_encryption': None,
'data_exfiltration': None,
'file_types_exposed': None,
'number_of_records_exposed': None,
'personally_identifiable_information': None,
'sensitivity_of_data': None,
'type_of_data_compromised': None},
'description': 'The central government confirmed that seven '
'major airports across India, including Delhi, '
'Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru, were '
'targeted by cyber attacks involving GPS '
'spoofing. The spoofing affected navigational '
'systems, particularly during GPS-based landing '
'procedures at Runway 10 of IGI Airport in Delhi. '
'Despite the attack, no flight operations were '
'disrupted due to contingency measures and '
'security protocols.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': None,
'conversion_rate_impact': None,
'customer_complaints': None,
'data_compromised': None,
'downtime': 'None (no flight operations disrupted or '
'cancelled)',
'financial_loss': None,
'identity_theft_risk': None,
'legal_liabilities': None,
'operational_impact': 'Technical anomalies reported; '
'potential risk to navigation '
'accuracy during landing '
'procedures',
'payment_information_risk': None,
'revenue_loss': None,
'systems_affected': ['GPS-based navigational systems',
'aircraft landing procedures']},
'initial_access_broker': {'backdoors_established': None,
'data_sold_on_dark_web': None,
'entry_point': None,
'high_value_targets': ['GPS-based '
'navigational '
'systems at '
'major '
'airports'],
'reconnaissance_period': None},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (government acknowledged '
'incident; no further details provided)',
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': None,
'root_causes': None},
'ransomware': {'data_encryption': None,
'data_exfiltration': None,
'ransom_demanded': None,
'ransom_paid': None,
'ransomware_strain': None},
'references': [{'date_accessed': None,
'source': 'Matrubhumi',
'url': None},
{'date_accessed': None,
'source': 'Parliamentary disclosure by Union '
'Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan '
'Naidu Kinjarapu',
'url': None}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'fines_imposed': None,
'legal_actions': None,
'regulations_violated': None,
'regulatory_notifications': ['disclosure '
'to '
'Parliament '
'by Union '
'Civil '
'Aviation '
'Minister '
'Ram '
'Mohan '
'Naidu '
'Kinjarapu']},
'response': {'adaptive_behavioral_waf': None,
'communication_strategy': ['government disclosure '
'to Parliament',
'media reports (e.g., '
'Matrubhumi)'],
'containment_measures': ['contingency protocols',
'security measures to '
'stabilize air traffic '
'control systems'],
'enhanced_monitoring': None,
'incident_response_plan_activated': True,
'law_enforcement_notified': None,
'network_segmentation': None,
'on_demand_scrubbing_services': None,
'recovery_measures': None,
'remediation_measures': None,
'third_party_assistance': None},
'title': 'Cyber Attacks on Seven Major Airports in India via GPS '
'Spoofing',
'type': ['cyber attack', 'GPS spoofing'],
'vulnerability_exploited': 'GPS-based navigation and landing '
'systems'}}