An apparent cyber-vandalism attack has targeted four North American airports, where pro-Hamas messages and slurs against political figures were broadcast over public address (PA) systems and displayed on flight screens, causing delays and alarming passengers on Wednesday.
The breaches were confirmed at Harrisburg International Airport in Pennsylvania in the U.S., and three Canadian airports: Kelowna International Airport and Victoria International Airport (both in British Columbia), and Windsor International Airport (in Ontario).
The unauthorized broadcasts played over PA systems included political recordings, with messages at Kelowna and Harrisburg praising Hamas, featuring “Free Palestine” chants, and containing expletive-laden remarks critical of President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The visual displays at Kelowna were also compromised, flashing messages such as “Israel lost the war, Hamas won” and slurs directed at the U.S. President. A group calling itself “Siberislam” claimed responsibility for the on-screen messages.
These incidents, which did not compromise flight safety, still caused disruptions, including flight delays at Kelowna, where staff had to use megaphones to communicate. At Harrisburg, one boarding flight was searched “out of an abundance of caution” before it departed safely.
The attacks highlight vulnerabilities in airport networks, particularly those relying on cloud-based audio and display systems. Victoria airport specifically attributed the breach to an “unauthorized audio message” stemming from a “cloud-based software issue”
Airport authorities quickly shut off the compromised systems, and investigations are underway .