Pro-Hamas screed blasted through airport speakers in US, Canada after hack
Pro-Hamas and anti-Israel messages were blasted through speakers at airports in the U.S. and Canada following apparent hacks, officials said.
One public address system was hacked on Tuesday evening at the Harrisburg International Airport (HIA) in Pennsylvania, for about 10 minutes.
The hacker can be heard saying "Free Palestine" and "F--- Netanyahu and Trump" over the speaker, according to videos circulating on social media.
AIRLINES CANCEL FLIGHTS AS AIRPORTS EXPERIENCE 'MAJOR DISRUPTIONS' OVER PROTESTS, STRIKES
"An unauthorized user gained access to the airport PA system and played an unauthorized recorded message," HIA officials said in a statement, according to FOX 43.
"Turkish hacker Cyber Islam was here," added the unauthorized user in an identifying message.
A U.S. Secret Service official told Fox News Digital it is aware of the incident.
The airport called the announcement a "political message" that did not contain any threats to airlines, passengers or employees, according to HIA.
Kelowna International Airport and Victoria International Airport in British Columbia also confirmed similar incidents Tuesday, according to CBC News.
Kelowna International Airport director of operations Phillip Elchitz told the network that "a third party gained access" to the airport's flight information display and PA systems. He added that pro-Hamas and anti-Trump messages were briefly announced over the PA system and shown on screens inside the terminal building.
The PA system disruption lasted around 20 seconds, while it took several minutes to scrub the images from the displays, according to Elchitz, who added that a few flights were delayed as a result.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
"We're working with our service providers to better understand how these files ended up on these screens and on the PA system," Elchitz told CBC News. "And obviously we want to make sure that whatever security loopholes that existed within those systems are shut down completely so this doesn't happen again."
"The cybersecurity incident was limited to a cloud-based third-party software provider. Airport systems are segregated to protect cybersecurity incidents from migrating from one network to another," the airport said in a statement the following day. "A joint threat risk assessment was completed with Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Transport Canada, and the messaging displayed was not deemed to be a direct threat toward the traveling public."
A Victoria International Airport spokesperson told CBC News that only its PA system was hacked in an incident during which someone externally uploaded a "file containing unauthorized audio content" that aired over the airport's loudspeakers for "a few minutes."
The spokesperson added that the airport's loudspeakers are linked to a cloud-based external system.
Windsor International Airport in Ontario also told CBC News that it responded to an "unauthorized/hacking incident" on Tuesday.
"Our team responded quickly, removed the images and shut off the recorded PA [public address] announcement," the airport's president and CEO, Mark Galvin, said in a statement.
The airport also said the messages were similar to the ones being reported by other affected airports that day, according to CBC News.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
In the Pennsylvania incident, a Delta flight that was boarding at the time of the incident was searched out of an abundance of caution, the airline confirmed to Fox News Digital.
"As the safety and security of our customers and employees comes before all else, Delta followed the direction of TSA to return to the gate and complete a security check of the aircraft. We appreciate our customers' patience and cooperation," said a spokesperson in a statement to Fox News Digital.
The passengers on the flight headed to Atlanta were deplaned as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) conducted a security sweep, delaying the flight by 45 minutes.
The public address system was shut off and is under investigation by police.
The Harrisburg International Airport was said to be operating normally after the incident.
Fox News Digital reached out to HIA and TSA for comment.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES
The incident comes after the FBI issued a warning in July about a notorious cybercriminal group dubbed "Scattered Spider" targeting the airline sector, FOX Business reported.
The FBI posted on X that the group relies on "social engineering techniques, often impersonating employees or contractors to deceive IT help desks into granting access" and frequently involves methods to bypass multifactor authentication (MFA), such as convincing help desk services to add unauthorized MFA devices to compromised accounts.
"They target large corporations and their third-party IT providers, which means anyone in the airline ecosystem, including trusted vendors and contractors, could be at risk," the FBI wrote.
Fox News Digital's Daniella Genovese contributed reporting.
