In response to this weekend's cyber-attack on Collins Aerospace, which has caused widespread disruption at major European airports, Tom Kidwell, a former British Army and UK Government intelligence specialist, and co-founder of Ecliptic Dynamics, shares his views on why this attack is a stark reminder of the dangers facing Europe's most critical organisations.

 "This attack is another wake up call that the risk of our CNI being targeted by malicious actors is growing, and without fresh approach to managing that risk, breaches will continue to occur."

"The attack over the weekend was another stark reminder of the dangers Europe's most critical organisations face. While details at this moment in time are scarce, we know from experience the most common ways attackers breach these types of organisations. Phishing campaigns, which despite being the most basic are also the most effective, have long been the favourite technique used by attackers. However, recent attacks on M&S, Co-op, and JLR are suspected to have been carried out using social engineering; a devastating vector which uses the identities of real or fake employees to trick other staff into compromising their own organisations, lowering defences or sharing critically sensitive information.

"The reality is that, in 2025, the world is not on the most steady heading. Active conflict zones in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa are causing global diplomatic tensions. And while many are concerned about physical attacks on the UK and Western Europe, there is a much higher probability of damaging cyber attacks being aimed this way, likely by Russia or other malicious states.

"The purpose of these attacks, often carried out by a private company on behalf of a nation state, seek to cause disruption, financial loss and sometimes loss of life. Looking at the attack on Collins Aerospace, it's easy to see why they would be a target for this type of attack; although we still don't have any confirmation on where this attack has come from.

"This attack is another wake up call that the risk of our CNI (critical national infrastructure) being targeted by malicious actors is growing, and without fresh approach to managing that risk, breaches will continue to occur."

Tom Kidwell is the Co-founder of Ecliptic Dynamics, an internet infrastructure security specialist that provides security, privacy, and data protection through its web isolation platform and virtual desktop infrastructure. From 2003-2009 Tom worked within the Armed Forces as an Intelligence Analyst, before taking on the role of Operations Manager for the UK Government.