Follow-up: Port of Seattle investigating ‘unauthorized activity’ that led to cyberattack; no timeline for outage fix … Cyberattack at Port of Seattle is the latest example of increasing threats to critical infrastructure
The Port of Seattle said Saturday it was hit with a “possible cyberattack” that impacted Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, phone systems, and websites.
The outage was first reported Saturday morning just after 9 a.m. PT, described as an “internet and web systems outage.” A few hours later, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport posted on X and said the Port “experienced certain system outages indicating a possible cyberattack.”
The Port posted another update just before midnight Saturday and said it was still seeing system outages. It did not provide an estimated time for return and suggested travelers “check with your airline for travel information, use airline apps to get your boarding pass and bag tags online, and allow extra time to get to SEA and to your gate.”
A spokesperson for the Port did not have additional information to share with GeekWire. Emali and phone for Port employees was impacted as part of the outage.
Update, 11:18 a.m.: Alaska Airlines’ systems have not been directly impacted by the cyberattack, said Cole Cosgrove, the company’s director of executive communications.
“We’ve been able to fly our full schedule in and out of Seattle this weekend,” he told GeekWire in an email. “That said, the one area where we are starting to see some impacts is the Port of Seattle’s baggage sorting system, so we are warning guests who are flying out of Seattle to pack light and not check a bag if they don’t have to.”
Alaska Airlines says travelers who have prepaid for a checked bag can call the customer care team at 1-800-654-5669 for a refund. The airline also advises arriving at the airport at least two hours prior to scheduled departure.
Update, 9:53 a.m.: Sea-Tac posted on X Sunday morning, saying that the outages continue, and did not provide an estimated time for return. It suggested travelers check in for their flight online before getting to the airport and get their boarding pass, and to carry on luggage. It also said screens inside the terminal showing flight information are experiencing technical issues.
It’s not clear if the outage is impacting flight delays at Sea-Tac Airport or cruise travel in Seattle. There were six canceled flights on Saturday at the airport, according to FlightAware, and four canceled flights as of 8 a.m. PT on Sunday.
“TSA is aware of the outage to the Port of Seattle’s internet service and is working with its partners at the Port,” the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement to GeekWire. “There is no impact to TSA’s operations at the security checkpoint and TSA continues to screen passengers using its robust procedures.”
The Port and airport’s website were still down Sunday morning. The Port said Saturday that its Maritime Facilities phone systems were down.
The outages come a month after a flawed update from cybersecurity software company CrowdStrike caused a global IT disruption, including at Sea-Tac and airports across the country.
President Biden signed an executive order earlier this year to strengthen cybersecurity at ports in America amid heightened concerns from foreign hackers targeting U.S. infrastructure.
The Port of Houston said in 2021 that it was targeted by suspected nation-state hackers.
Seattle Public Library is still recovering from a ransomware attack in May.
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