ADF contractor caught up in global aviation services hack
Picture: The Australian - supplied
Article Excerpt:
An Australian Defence Force contractor faces a cyber attack amid warnings hackers are launching targeted campaigns during peak consumer periods and it will get worse before Christmas.
Collins Aerospace provides automated check-in technology for London Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport, which all experienced massive delays for passengers trying to board flights last weekend and into this week.
Its website states that it works for the Australian Defence Force providing simulators, surveillance systems and military underwater navigation systems with integrated military GPS for the “Australian and US governments”.
The ADF would not provide comment and Collins Aerospace also declined to comment.
It also works for Qantas and provides check-in systems used by Virgin Australia in Canberra and Darwin. The airlines have not experienced any issues with check-in terminals that use the Collins Aerospace system.
Our CEO, Shane Bell, shared his insights throughout this article:
Cyber expert Shane Bell, co-founder of NSB Cyber, warns that companies that sell directly to consumers need to be on particularly high alert coming into Christmas.
The travel industry has become a favourite target for cyber criminals because its companies often hold valuable information such as credit card numbers, passport details, and travel plans that criminals can sell or use for identity theft.
Qantas suffered a cyber attack in June when a hacker group, believed to be Scattered Spider, duped an employee in an offshore call centre used by the Australian airline.
“If you’re a B to C business, and you’re coming into a really busy spending time, then that makes you a target,” said Mr Bell.
Most cyber attacks against companies – as opposed to scams against individuals – are committed by organised crime.
Mr Bell said cyber criminals run “planned campaigns” around peak spending periods. They know what times of the year a company is more likely to pay a ransom to either unlock their systems or stop a hacker misusing customer data.
“It’s organised for a reason,” added Mr Bell. “If you’re in the business of extortion, what they try to create is a real sense of urgency around payment being the most viable option, in comparison to down periods or other times of the year, where it’s easy to resolve the decision to not pay anything.”
Source: The Australian - Thursday 25 September 2025
Author: By Tansy Harcourt | The Australian Business Network
Reference: ADF contractor caught up in global aviation services hack
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