Pierluigi Paganini August 26, 2024

A cyber attack hit the Port of Seattle, which also operates the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, websites and phone systems were impacted.

Media reported that the Port of Seattle, which also operates the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, has suffered a cyber attack that impacted the websites, email and phone services.

According to The Seattle Times, the cyber attack disrupted travel plans.

“A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines said staff was manually sorting over 7,000 bags, because “a majority” of checked bags missed their flights this weekend.” reported The Seattle Times.

“We believe this was a cyberattack,” said Lance Lyttle, managing director of aviation for Sea-Tac Airport, at a news conference Sunday afternoon.”

“We are conducting a thorough investigation with assistance of outside experts We have contacted and are working closely with federal partners, including TSA and Customs and Border Protection,” Lyttle added.

The Port of Seattle first reported it was experiencing an internet and web systems outage on Saturday. According a message posted on X, the problems impacted some systems at the airport. Passengers were recommended to check with their airlines for the latest information for their flights.

In response to the incident, the Port isolated critical systems

The Port of Seattle continued to face problems until Sunday. As of Sunday morning Pacific time, the Port of Seattle’s public-facing web infrastructure was largely offline, according to TechCrunch.

Security operations at Sea-Tac Airport were not impacted with 72,000 people flying out on Sunday, according to Greg Hawko, Washington state’s federal TSA security director.

“We’ve continued to provide the world-class security that TSA provides every day,” Hawko said. “All checked bags and all passengers were screened with our robust security procedures. Our nearly 1,000 TSA officers here at Seattle airport continue to provide the highest level of security.

Despite most flights remaining on schedule, the baggage sorting systems and some terminal screens at Sea-Tac Airport were disrupted. Airlines using the airport’s “common use gates,” including many international carriers, Frontier, Spirit, and WestJet, had to resort to handwriting boarding passes and manually searching bags. Delta, Alaska, and American Airlines reported no impact on their schedule. Sun Country Airlines experienced delays of more than two hours, affecting five flights over the weekend. Travelers were advised to arrive early and pack light.

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Pierluigi Paganin

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, Port of Seattle)