Seattle Airport Hit With Apparent Cyberattack: What We Know

The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) has been hit with an apparent cyberattack as widespread internet outages affect critical systems for the third straight day, according to Port of Seattle officials.
The outages began early Saturday and took down several systems. While the full scale of the outage has not been made public, the Port of Seattle websites, email and phone systems were also down, according to The Seattle Times.
“Earlier [Saturday] morning the Port of Seattle experienced certain system outages indicating a possible cyberattack,” the airport said in a social media post on Saturday.
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However, on Sunday airport officials confirmed that they believe there was a cyberattack with the ongoing disruption causing airport officials to scramble in attempts to restore operations while minimizing impact on travelers.
Newsweek reached out to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport officials via email on Monday for comment.
Lance Lyttle, the airport’s aviation managing director, addressed the situation during a press conference on Sunday, assuring the public that efforts are ongoing to bring systems back online and added that TSA’s passenger screening processes remain unaffected.
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“We’re working around the clock to get necessary systems back online and to mitigate impacts to our passengers,” Lyttle said.
In addition, the airport is collaborating with federal agencies to investigate the incident, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), as well as external cybersecurity experts.
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In a social media update, Sea-Tac officials acknowledged the progress being made but noted that there is no estimated timeline for a full return to normal operations.
“Port teams continue to make progress on returning systems to normal operations, but there is not an estimated time for return,” the airport shared on Facebook.
Despite the ongoing disruptions, the Associated Press (AP) reported that major airlines operating at Sea-Tac, such as Delta and Alaska Airlines, reported no significant service interruptions.
“Alaska’s systems are not impacted, so we’ve been able to fly our full schedule in and out of Seattle this weekend,” a spokesperson for Alaska Airlines said in an email to The Seattle Times.
In addition, according to The Seattle Times, Port spokesperson Chris Guizlo said any issues depend on each airline, but “overall, our operations are moving.”
However, the Port of Seattle’s baggage sorting system has been impacted, prompting airlines to advise passengers against checking luggage to avoid delays.
Travelers have also been advised to allow extra time for their airport experience, use mobile applications for check-ins and be prepared for longer-than-usual security lines and baggage claim wait times.
The outage has also rendered terminal information screens inoperative, complicating gate assignments for some passengers, the AP reported.