Major US airport websites taken offline, pro-Russia hacking group takes credit
Airports in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, other US cities affected
The websites of multiple U.S. airports were taken offline on Monday morning with a pro-Russian hacking group claiming responsibility.
BINANCE CRYPTO HACK WITHDRAWS $570M IN BNB TOKENS
According to Bleeping Computer, the group known as Killnet launched a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, making the affected airports' websites unavailable. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and Midway International Airport's websites were among those impacted.
Representatives for LAX, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the Chicago Department of Aviation told FOX Business that the websites are back up and running and that operations at the airports were not impacted. Investigations into the incident are underway and the FBI and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have been notified.
A spokesperson for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) told FOX Business it is "aware of reports of DDoS attacks targeting multiple U.S. airport websites."
"We are coordinating with potentially impacted entities and offering assistance as needed," the spokesperson added.
An FBI spokesperson told FOX Business the agency is "aware of the incident" but declined to comment further. A TSA spokesperson deferred comment to the airports.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Killnet — which has stepped up hacking efforts against countries that oppose Russia's war in Ukraine — previously claimed responsibility for attacks that targeted government websites in Colorado, Kentucky and Mississippi last week and Congress' website in July.
"Vladimir Putin seeks to compel the U.S. to stop providing military support to Ukraine by attempting to place pressure on Americans," Rebekah Koffler, a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer and the author of "Putin’s Playbook: Russia’s Secret Plan to Defeat America," told FOX Business. "Inflicting gradual pain by disrupting the normal functioning of the society is part of the doctrine. The goal is to reach the point where people get tired of inconveniences and demand that the U.S. government abandon Ukraine."