Seattle Airport Hit by Possible Cyberattack, Websites & Phone Systems Were Impacted

The Port of Seattle and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) experienced a possible cyberattack over the weekend, causing significant disruptions to their websites, email services, and phone systems. The incident, which began on Saturday morning, affected thousands of travelers and airport operations.

The cyberattack particularly impacted international travelers, as their information had to be entered manually for check-ins. Airport officials encouraged passengers to use airline apps for boarding passes and bag tags and to allow extra time to reach their gates. Despite the outages, TSA security operations remained unaffected.

The Port of Seattle, including SEA Airport, continues to see system outages. There is not an estimated time for return and Port teams continue to work to restore full service. (Cont.)

— Seattle-Tacoma Intl. Airport (@flySEA) August 25, 2024

Lance Lyttle, Aviation Managing Director, confirmed the attack, stating, “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.” The FBI’s Seattle field office acknowledged awareness of the incident and is working to determine the cause.

“The Port isolated critical systems and is in the process of working to restore full service with the assistance of industry experts. There is currently no estimated time for return,” Seattle added.

“International travelers should give themselves extra time if coming to SEA. Some of our airline partners are currently providing manual bag tags and boarding passes,” Seattle-Tacoma Airport Authorities said. They are also running a temporary website to post updates.

International travelers should give themselves extra time if coming to SEA. Some of our airline partners are currently providing manual bag tags and boarding passes. pic.twitter.com/2y85HSXZyw

— Seattle-Tacoma Intl. Airport (@flySEA) August 27, 2024

The incident resulted in flight delays and baggage handling issues. According to FlightAware, 247 flights were delayed, and six were canceled by Saturday evening. Alaska Airlines reported manually sorting over 7,000 bags due to the disruption.

As of Sunday afternoon, Port of Seattle’s public-facing web infrastructure, including its website, was still largely offline. The airport reported progress in restoring systems but could not provide an estimated time for full-service resumption.

Thanks to our partners at WPPA, we’re temporarily using this website to post updates. https://t.co/IBueKi8S9c pic.twitter.com/dRiYB4ZWT5

— Seattle-Tacoma Intl. Airport (@flySEA) August 27, 2024

The cyberattack has highlighted the vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure and the importance of robust cybersecurity measures to protect against such incidents.