Experts estimate that the economic damage from cyberattacks reaches over $20 billion a day. In addition to flight disruptions, major British companies have also been victims of attacks. In April, Marks & Spencer suffered a loss of around £300 million from an attack. In September, Jaguar Land Rover halted production, paralyzing three factories in Britain.
In a digital world, cybersecurity has become a global concern. Along with its changes, technology is also bringing with it an increase in the number of cyber threats. A cyber attack is a deliberate attempt to exploit computer systems, networks, or devices. The target can be various objectives, including stealing sensitive data or blocking the system.
“Cyberattacks are attempts by hackers to penetrate a computer system or network, whether to steal sensitive information, disrupt operations, or demand money in exchange for stopping the attack. Think of it as a digital intrusion: instead of a burglar breaking into your home, it’s someone breaking into a company’s network. Attacks can range from emails trying to trick someone into revealing passwords to ransomware attacks that lock all files on a computer system until a payment is made,” said Cybersecurity expert Sam Rubin.
On September 19, 2025, major European airports, including London Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin, were hit by flight disruptions. The cause was a cyberattack on the US company Collins Aerospace, specifically on its check-in and boarding systems. As a result, several flights were cancelled and delays were caused because procedures were carried out manually.
Experts estimate that the economic damage from cyberattacks amounts to over $20 billion a day. In addition to flight disruptions, major British companies have also been victims of attacks. In April, Marks & Spencer suffered a loss of around £300 million from an attack. In September, Jaguar Land Rover stopped production, paralyzing three factories in Britain. “What I think is that people don’t realise that this is a global problem. Cyberattacks are costing us, as a society, over $20 billion a day. These sophisticated perpetrators are targeting us, our organisations, and trying to block us and prevent us from doing business or going about our daily lives.” This other form of attack, known as ransomware, is often accompanied by blackmail and extortion.
In the retail sector, the consequences go beyond financial losses. Service disruption, loss of customer trust, and the risk of investigations are direct consequences.
“A ransomware attack occurs when an attacker gains access to an organization and locks files to prevent us from accessing them. But you know what? It’s not just about locking files. They actually steal information. So it’s not just ransomware, it’s extortion where they use that access, the locked files, the information that they’ve stolen and hold it over us and say, hey, if you don’t pay us, we’re going to reveal your sensitive private information and we’re not going to get off your network and we’re not going to let you unlock these files.” Experts emphasize that preventive measures include ongoing employee training, increased security, and software updates. But there’s also a positive side to protecting against cyberattacks.
New artificial intelligence technology is helping security teams distinguish real threats among all the data they monitor and have better visibility across the entire network so they can see the threat in real time and take action faster, Rubin explains.
“What you need to do is conduct awareness training for employees at all times to make sure they are alert to the risks and threats that exist, and build multiple layers of defense. The good news here is that we are also seeing a fundamental change on the defense side, where there is technology that is bringing artificial intelligence capabilities, which allows defenders to see the signal. So, to see the threat in real time and take action faster.” According to a recently published report by French company Thales, cyberattacks in the aviation sector have increased by 600% over the past year.
