A Cyberattack Disrupted The Port of Seattle’s Operations, Services Delayed
On August 24, a cyberattack interrupted services at the port of Seattle. The port authorities announced temporary system outages due to the cyberattack.
The source was published on the Port of Seattle’s official account on platform X and stated, ‘The Port of Seattle had some system failures earlier this morning that might have been caused by a cyberattack.’ Without providing a projected time of return, the port isolated essential systems.
The government agency, Port of Seattle, oversees one of the busiest ports of the United States and the well-known Tacoma International Airport. Passengers were panicking who had upcoming reservations. The issue has been dragged into the 4th day, where the services have gone temporarily unavailable.
While confronting the media, officials asked for passenger coordination and advised that travelers should verify the upcoming flight details with their concerned airline. They explained that most of the departing and arriving flights were operating as per the schedule. The cruise ships were also in operation. The Port of Seattle security checkpoint systems had not been impacted. Mentioning further, they told in the media briefing that some services will remain offline. The port’s primary website, the phone, email, WiFi, and flight display screen services were among the major services offered by the Port of Seattle, are now unavailable.
According to a recent update, the phone systems for the port’s maritime facilities are also down. They are collaborating closely with the relevant authorities to assist any affected travelers and have requested to check with airport airline partners for travel details if flying in the coming days.
Today, the cyberattack and hacking of government organizations’ IT systems is not a new issue. Over the past three years, ports and airports have been the subject of numerous ransomware attacks and hacks. Attacks have been made on ports in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Japan, Australia, and U.S. cities like Houston.
Earlier in February this year, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, issued an executive order in which it granted the US Coast Guard greater jurisdiction to handle cyber crises in response to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas’s warning about the urgency of cyberattacks as a threat to ports.
It is highly advisable that travelers using Sea-Tac should spend additional time to navigate the airport and download the necessary apps beforehand. State and local officials are making every effort to ensure that everyone is informed with regular updates.