No timeline set for resolution to SeaTac Airport cyber attack
(The Center Square) – The Port of Seattle and the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport are experiencing issues with its web systems with no timeline for a resolution yet.
The Port of Seattle became aware of unauthorized activity on its system on Saturday. Soon after, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, better known as SeaTac, requested travelers to avoid checking their luggage if possible on a social media post.
Lance Lyttle, aviation managing director at SeaTac, said the airport is working with its federal partners including TSA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to address the cyber attack, but there is still no timeline to fix the issue.
“[The cyber attack] has impacted internet access to some of the airport systems including our ability to send and receive data including emails,” Lyttle said in a news conference on Monday. “We’re working around the clock to get necessary systems back online and to mitigate impacts to our passengers.”
The passenger terminal and airport security systems remain intact despite the cyber attacks. All screening measures remain in place as well.
Lyttle added that SeaTac has approximately 1,400 arrivals and departures on a typical day and has only had four cancellations so far. However, according to Flight Aware, there have been seven cancellations on Monday alone, as of this publication.
The airport saw 375 delays on Saturday and 499 delays on Sunday, according to Flight Aware.
TSA Federal Security Director for Washington Greg Hawko said that TSA security equipment and networks have not been impacted by the outage.
The airport had lines for general security screenings that were longer than usual around 10 a.m. on Monday. SeaTac has a number of monitors that display the estimated wait times for security screenings, but they were shut off completely.
Hawko recommended travelers print out their boarding passes at home or download them onto their mobile device in order to help the process of going through security checkpoints.
