Seattle airport battles crippling cyberattack for 4th consecutive day

August 27, 2024
1 min read




Seattle Airport Cyberattack Outages Summary

TLDR:

Key Points:

  • Seattle-Tacoma International Airport facing system outages for 4th day after cyberattack
  • Most flights operating normally, but check-in counters and bag check stations experiencing delays

Summary:

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is currently grappling with widespread system outages as a result of a cyberattack that began disrupting services at the Port of Seattle. While most flights are departing and arriving on schedule, many services for the Port of Seattle remain offline, including primary websites, phone systems, email, Wi-Fi, flight display screens, common use check-in kiosks, and the airport’s lost and found department. Manual processes, such as handwriting boarding passes and sorting bags, are causing delays at check-in counters.

Port and federal officials have confirmed that the passenger terminal and airport security systems are intact, with security measures remaining in place. The most significant delays are occurring at check-in counters and bag check stations. Airlines like Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and Sun Country Airlines, as well as international carriers, are especially impacted by the outages. The exact nature of the cyberattack has not been disclosed, and investigations are ongoing.

The Port of Seattle has not provided an estimated time for recovery and a return to normal operations. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport handles around 1,400 arrivals and departures daily, with only four cancellations reported so far despite the ongoing challenges. The airport authorities are working with external resources, their information technology department, and federal agencies to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.


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