On Saturday, August 24, 2024, a suspected cyberattack caused significant disruptions at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) and the broader Port of Seattle, affecting thousands of travelers. The attack, first detected early Saturday morning, led to an internet outage and impacted web-based systems critical for airport operations, leading to flight delays and cancellations.
The Port of Seattle, which manages both Sea-Tac and various maritime facilities, confirmed that the incident forced the airport to revert to manual processes, creating chaos for both passengers and staff.
🚨 Seattle-Tacoma Airport IT Systems Hit by Cyber Attack
The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA-TAC) experienced an IT systems outage likely caused by a cyber attack, disrupting reservation check-in systems and delaying flights.
Top 5 takeaways:
⚡️ The cyberattack began… pic.twitter.com/yhvMGwnMab
— Adam Goss (@gossy_84) August 27, 2024
By Sunday, only four flights had been officially canceled due to the outage, but many more experienced delays as airport personnel struggled to manage operations without the use of their digital systems.
Airlines like Frontier were particularly hard-hit, having to manually issue baggage tickets and requiring passengers to handle their own luggage through TSA checkpoints. International flights were also significantly affected, with several carriers reliant on the Port's systems for critical operations.
🚨🇺🇸#Breaking Seattle airport and the Port of Seattle have been hit with a cyber attack phones and computers systems down.
The FBI is investigating Possible dry run for Memorial Day travelers.#SeattleAirPortCyber pic.twitter.com/4peE1b0evT
— Todd Paron🇺🇸🇬🇷🎧👽 (@tparon) August 26, 2024
The attack, suspected to be the work of cybercriminals, left key infrastructure offline, including flight information displays, which went completely dark. Airport officials, including SEA Managing Director Lance Lyttle, held a press conference to address the situation, admitting that the investigation was ongoing and that they were unsure of the attackers' motives.
Despite round-the-clock efforts, officials could not provide a timeline for when full functionality would be restored.
The suspected cyberattack also affected the Port's phone systems and websites, further complicating communication efforts. Volunteers and staff were seen assisting passengers in person as electronic systems remained down. This incident is one of the most significant disruptions to hit Sea-Tac in recent memory, underscoring the vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure.
The Port of Seattle has promised to provide updates as more information becomes available, but the situation remains fluid. Passengers traveling through Sea-Tac are advised to check with their airlines for the latest updates and prepare for potential delays.
