Security

Bomb Threats and Cyberattacks Disrupt Airports and Smart Appliances Across Europe

AI SUMMARY

A wave of hoax bomb threats and cyberattacks targeting European airports, airlines, and connected appliances has caused widespread disruption.

Bomb threats on Thursday disrupted some 25 flights to cities in more than a dozen European countries including Britain, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Ireland.
Several planes were diverted to secondary airports or escorted by military jets following the threats.
Italian media reported that a bomb threat email sent to a Rome airport was signed by a far-right Russian group called Fighters of the Male State.
The European Union Transportation Commissioner stated it was too early to conclude if the reported incidents are linked.
Prior to the bomb threats, hackers targeted the temperature control systems of supermarket refrigerators and freezers across Europe, raising temperatures to 50 degrees Celsius and spoiling tonnes of food.
Refrigerators at a French blood service centre were also attacked, but technicians intervened before supplies were damaged.
Experts note that the fridge cyberattacks are relatively simple to execute because the smart devices are connected to the internet and lack basic security features.
Aviation analysts state that low-tech bomb threats and cyberattacks require little sophistication or money, increasing the number of potential threat actors.
Airlines and airports follow structured procedures to assess threat credibility from green to red, requiring emergency checks and thorough aircraft searches if classified as credible.