Ransomware attacks continued to cause flight cancellations at European airports on Monday. Berlin, Brussels, and London Heathrow were particularly affected. Specifically, attackers disabled a software program called "Muse."
Cyberattack Continues to Paralyze Airports
A cyberattack on Collins Aerospace's check-in software, which occurred last Friday, continued to severely impact European airports on Monday. Brussels Airport was particularly hard hit, forcing airlines to cancel half of Monday's scheduled flights. Berlin and London Heathrow airports were also still struggling to cope with the aftermath of the Muse software attack. In Berlin, the attack affected participants and spectators at the weekend's Berlin Marathon.
RTX, the parent company of Collins Aerospace, confirmed that its Muse software experienced "network-related outages" at some airports. The Muse system is at the heart of modern airports, supporting electronic check-in, baggage handling, and boarding pass validation, allowing airlines to share counters and gates. This collaborative approach is believed to save costs and increase efficiency, but it also creates a dangerous single point of failure. Cybercrime Infographic: What Germans Think of Cybercrime Threats
RTX is actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality as soon as possible. According to aviation analytics provider Cirium (via Reuters), as of Sunday, 38 departing flights and 33 arriving flights had been canceled at Heathrow, Berlin, and Brussels, compared to 35 departing flights and 25 arriving flights canceled on Saturday.
Suspected Ransomware
The incident is likely the result of a ransomware attack: Publicly available sources indicate that Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin may be using the same Muse cloud instance. This may explain why only these airports were affected.
Cybersecurity experts warn that cybercriminals are increasingly targeting the aviation industry, which relies heavily on shared digital systems, often through supply chains. Muse software is used at over 100 airports worldwide and processes millions of passenger records daily.
