Simple countermoves: Poison the public against it by using the media's crappy fact checking against them by:

Post on Facebook and X how the system didn't recognize you and you missed your flight because you didn't have ID with you.

Get your favorite hacker group to publicly post "Delta, we warned you to pay. The next data dump is the whole database" and then "leak" 1,000 names and images. Delta will deny they were hacked, but the damage will already be done because some people will only see the incendiary headline and some people will assume Delta is lying. And the news coverage will involve some security "experts" who will say the system is vulnerable, meanwhile the actual security experts will release their articles explaining why it is vulnerable.

Then you take down the data, post again "Smart move" and people will assume Delta paid and that any subsequent investigation is just a cover up.

Simple countermove: Get your favorite hacker group to publicly post "Delta, we warned you to pay, the next data dump is the whole database" and then "leak" 1,000 names and images. Delta will deny they were hacked, but the damage will already be done because some people will only see the incendiary headline and some people will assume Delta is lying. And the news coverage will involve some security "experts" who will say the system is vulnerable, meanwhile the actual security experts will release their articles explaining why it isn't secure.

Then you take down the data, post again "Smart move" and people will assume Delta paid and that any subsequent investigation is just a cover up.