Lauren Wills-Dixon features in The Guardian commenting on Manchester Airports Group cyber attack
Wednesday 9th September 2026
Lauren Wills-Dixon, partner and head of privacy and data protection, has featured in The Guardian and The Daily Mail commenting on a notable cyber-attack affecting Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports.
Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which operates Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports, confirmed that hackers had accessed data belonging to around 8.7 million customers.
This includes email addresses, phone numbers, vehicle registration numbers and postcodes. MAG said the system that was hacked did not hold customers’ bank or payment details.
Lauren provided expert insight on MAG’s response to the data breach and the importance of cyber resilience.
She said: “The scale of this attack is notable – the important thing now is how Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which operates all three airports, responds in line with its cyber security plan.
“This is another reminder of the importance for organisations to take legal, regulatory and best practice measures to build and maintain cyber resilience.
“Airports sell a number of services including lounge access, parking and fast-track bookings. Wi-fi access also requires customers to input their data.
“As a result, operators will hold large amounts of customer data and this, together with the increased use of technology, only increases the threat of a cyber-attack.
“MAG has done the right thing in communicating early with affected customers, and has already said it’s working with specialist advisors who will be taking appropriate action to contain the risk and inform the Information Commissioner’s Office in line with guidance.”
You can read more about the incident and Lauren’s comments on The Guardian website here and The Daily Mail website here.
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