“KillNet” has claimed major US airports are the targets of extensive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) cyberattacks.
According to ABC News, which cited a senior US official, cyberattacks on the websites of major US airports were launched early on Monday by alleged hackers from “within the Russian Federation.”
Fortunately, the attacks did not affect the operations of the systems in charge of air traffic control, airline internal coordination and communications, or transportation security.
“It’s an inconvenience,” the senior official said, adding the cyberattacks resulted in “denial of public access” to certain airport websites that report flight wait times and congestion.
When the Port Authority alerted the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency that LaGuardia Airport had been hit, the attacks were initially discovered approximately 03:30 ET. Other airports that were targeted included Los Angeles International Airport, Des Moines International Airport, and Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
As of 10:30 ET, the website for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport had been restored. This is what ATL’s website looked like earlier…
Because engineers and programmers worked with airports to repair websites, none of the cyberattacks interfered with flights.
According to Bleeping Computer, the pro-Russian hacktivist group “KillNet” has claimed US airports of being the target of extensive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.