In September 2023, a ransomware attack targeted major European airports, causing severe operational disruptions as documented in NCC Group’s report. The cyberattack forced airlines to revert to **manual processes**, leading to widespread **flight delays, cancellations, and passenger congestion**. Critical systems—likely tied to check-in, baggage handling, or air traffic coordination—were compromised, paralyzing core infrastructure. The incident underscored the vulnerability of **transportation hubs** to ransomware, where even short-term outages cascade into systemic chaos. While the report does not specify data exfiltration, the **operational halt** and reputational damage align with patterns where attackers exploit high-stakes environments to maximize pressure for ransom payments. The attack’s timing coincides with Qilin’s surge in activity, a group known for targeting **supply-chain-dependent sectors**, though direct attribution to Qilin was not confirmed in this case. The disruption’s scale suggests the attackers prioritized **maximizing leverage** over data theft, leveraging the airports’ inability to function without digital systems.
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/vinci-airports
"id": "vin0962109103025",
"linkid": "vinci-airports",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "9/2023",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization's existence"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': True,
'industry': 'Transportation',
'location': 'Europe',
'name': 'Unspecified European Airports',
'type': 'Critical Infrastructure'},
{'industry': 'Industrials',
'location': ['North America', 'Europe', 'Global'],
'name': 'Industrials Sector Organizations (120 attacks '
'in September)',
'type': ['Manufacturing',
'Supply Chain',
'Industrial']},
{'customers_affected': True,
'industry': 'Consumer Discretionary',
'location': ['North America', 'Europe', 'Global'],
'name': 'Consumer Discretionary Sector (76 attacks in '
'Q3)',
'type': ['Retail', 'Automotive', 'Leisure']},
{'customers_affected': True,
'industry': 'Financial Services',
'location': ['North America', 'Europe', 'Global'],
'name': 'Financial Institutions (47 attacks in Q3)',
'type': ['Banks', 'Investment Firms', 'Insurance']}],
'attack_vector': ['phishing',
'exploiting vulnerabilities',
'supply chain compromises',
'third-party breaches',
'cookie hijacking'],
'customer_advisories': ['Potential delays and disruptions in transportation '
'(e.g., airports) due to ransomware.',
'Increased risk of data breaches in retail and '
'financial sectors.'],
'data_breach': {'data_encryption': True,
'data_exfiltration': True,
'personally_identifiable_information': True,
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (financial, PII, operational)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['financial data',
'customer data',
'operational data',
'supply chain data']},
'date_detected': '2023-09-01',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2023-10-01',
'description': "NCC Group's latest report found that global ransomware "
'attacks increased sharply by 28% in September 2023, reaching '
'421 incidents. This surge followed a six-month decline, with '
'the Industrials sector (29% of attacks) being the most '
'targeted, followed by Consumer Discretionary (76 attacks) and '
'Financial institutions (47 attacks). North America and Europe '
'accounted for 75% of incidents. The Qilin ransomware gang was '
'responsible for 14% of attacks, while new groups like The '
'Gentlemen and Interlock emerged. Geopolitical tensions, '
'including Russian military drills and Middle East conflicts, '
'contributed to the volatile threat landscape. Critical '
'infrastructure, such as European airports, faced significant '
'disruptions due to manual operations and delays.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': True,
'customer_complaints': True,
'data_compromised': True,
'downtime': True,
'operational_impact': ['manual operations in airports',
'flight delays',
'cancellations',
'passenger congestion',
'supply chain disruptions'],
'payment_information_risk': True,
'systems_affected': True},
'initial_access_broker': {'data_sold_on_dark_web': True,
'entry_point': ['phishing',
'vulnerable third-party vendors',
'supply chain compromises',
'stolen credentials'],
'high_value_targets': ['Industrials',
'Financial Institutions',
'Critical Infrastructure '
'(e.g., airports)']},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (trend analysis by NCC Group)',
'lessons_learned': ['Ransomware attacks surged after a six-month decline, '
'indicating volatility in threat trends.',
'Industrials and critical infrastructure remain '
'high-priority targets due to operational disruption '
'potential.',
'Geopolitical tensions (e.g., Russia, China, Middle East) '
'are increasingly tied to cyber operations, including '
'ransomware.',
'Emerging ransomware groups (e.g., The Gentlemen, '
'Interlock) leverage shared infrastructure and leaked '
'tools to scale quickly.',
'Third-party and supply chain risks are critical attack '
'vectors, especially during high-activity periods (e.g., '
'Black Friday, Christmas).',
'AI-enabled ransomware and cookie hijacking are emerging '
'threats exacerbated by geopolitical instability.'],
'motivation': ['financial gain',
'operational disruption',
'geopolitical influence',
'strategic hybrid warfare'],
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['Strengthen third-party '
'vendor security '
'assessments.',
'Deploy behavioral analysis '
'tools to detect anomalous '
'activity (e.g., ransomware '
'encryption patterns).',
'Enhance cross-sector '
'collaboration for threat '
'intelligence sharing.',
'Conduct regular red team '
'exercises to test incident '
'response readiness.',
'Implement zero-trust '
'architectures to limit '
'lateral movement in '
'breaches.'],
'root_causes': ['Exploitation of unpatched '
'vulnerabilities in third-party '
'systems.',
'Lack of adaptive security '
'measures for emerging threats '
'(e.g., AI-enabled ransomware).',
'Geopolitical tensions enabling '
'state-affiliated or tolerated '
'cyber operations.',
'Insufficient segmentation of '
'critical infrastructure '
'networks.']},
'ransomware': {'data_encryption': True,
'data_exfiltration': True,
'ransomware_strain': ['Qilin',
'The Gentlemen',
'Interlock',
'Unspecified strains']},
'recommendations': ['Implement robust third-party risk management to mitigate '
'supply chain and vendor compromises.',
'Enhance incident response plans with rapid detection and '
'containment protocols.',
'Adopt proactive security strategies, including threat '
'intelligence sharing and red teaming.',
'Prioritize critical infrastructure protection, '
'especially in transportation and retail sectors.',
'Monitor geopolitical developments for potential cyber '
'threat correlations (e.g., hybrid warfare).',
'Prepare for seasonal spikes in attacks (e.g., holiday '
'shopping periods) with heightened vigilance.',
'Invest in AI-driven threat detection to counter evolving '
'ransomware tactics.'],
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2023-10-01',
'source': 'NCC Group Ransomware Report (Q3 2023)',
'url': 'https://www.nccgroup.com/'},
{'date_accessed': '2023-10-01',
'source': 'Matt Hull, Head of Threat Intelligence at NCC '
'Group'}],
'response': {'communication_strategy': ['NCC Group report',
'Media coverage',
'Expert warnings (e.g., Matt Hull, '
'NCC Group)'],
'recovery_measures': ['Manual operations in airports',
'Public advisories'],
'third_party_assistance': ['NCC Group (reporting)',
'Unspecified cybersecurity firms']},
'stakeholder_advisories': ['Organizations urged to act against rising '
'ransomware threats (NCC Group).',
'Warning about geopolitical cyber risks (e.g., '
'Russian drills, Middle East tensions).',
'Advisory on holiday-season attack surges (Black '
'Friday, Christmas).'],
'threat_actor': ['Qilin (14% of attacks)',
'The Gentlemen (emerging group)',
'Interlock (emerging group)',
'Unspecified state-affiliated actors (geopolitical context)'],
'title': 'Global Ransomware Surge in September 2023',
'type': ['ransomware', 'cyber extortion', 'data theft']}