A possible cyberattack caused significant disruption at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) on Saturday, resulting in widespread delays and a temporary outage of certain systems. The incident, described by the Port of Seattle as an “outage of the internet and web systems,” began in the morning and is believed to have been caused by a cyberattack.
In a statement, airport authorities confirmed that the outages had prompted the Port of Seattle to isolate critical systems as a precautionary measure while efforts were made to restore full operations. As of 8 p.m. ET Saturday, 247 flights had been reported delayed and six canceled, according to flight tracking service FlightAware.
The airport has not yet provided a timeline for resuming normal operations, but is actively working with relevant authorities and partners to mitigate the impact on travelers. Passengers are asked to check with airlines for the latest information and allow extra time to navigate the airport. SEA advises travelers to use mobile boarding passes and airline apps to check baggage and expedite their journey.
“The Port of Seattle has experienced certain system outages that indicate a possible cyberattack,” authorities said. “We are working closely with appropriate authorities and partners to assist travelers who may be affected.”
As of Sunday morning, the Port of Seattle’s public web infrastructure, including its main website, was mostly offline, confirmed by a TechCrunch analysis of its DNS records, but the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) confirmed there was no impact to the airport’s security operations.
This incident occurred less than a month after a global IT crisis triggered by a CrowdStrike software update resulted in numerous flight cancellations and delays around the world. The recent attack on SEA has renewed concerns about cybersecurity at critical infrastructure points, especially in light of a recent executive order from the Biden administration to strengthen cybersecurity measures at ports across the United States.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not yet commented on the incident and referred inquiries to SEA authorities. The Port of Seattle, which operates SEA, has not provided further details but continues to monitor the situation as it works to restore all affected services. Travelers are advised to stay informed of evolving situations through airline communication channels and official updates from SEA.
