By REBECCA RUTHERFORD
Los Alamos
For the Los Alamos Daily Post

Traveling to SeaTac airport in Seattle, Wash., soon? Be aware that systems are impacted by what is thought to be a cyber attack.

According to reports, the Port of Seattle has ‘experienced certain system outages indicating a possible cyberattack earlier this morning.’, impacting operations at SeaTac airport.

Passengers are encouraged to check with their airline carrier on flight times and possible impacts from the outages. 

The outage was first reported around 9 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24, with indications it could be a cyber attack around 1:30 in the afternoon.

The Port has stated they have isolated critical systems and are working to restore full service. There is no estimated time for restoration of services.

Info from SeaTac Twitter (X) account. Courtesy/R. Rutherford

While only 36 flights were reported to have been canceled as of the writing of this column, passengers reported painfully long lines as airlines were forced to revert to manual check-in processes. According to local news reports, one passenger flying on British Airways reported that check-in staff were relying on handwritten boarding passes and taking pictures of passenger’s passports with their phones. 

As of 10 p.m. Saturday, the Port of Seattle website was still down.

Screenshot of Port of Seattle website down. Courtesy/R. Rutherford

Details are scarce, but will likely be released within the coming week. If you happen to be traveling through SeaTac, be aware your travel may be delayed. My bets are on ransomware, but with everything else going on in the world who knows! Stay safe, and be aware of possible impacts of cyber attacks on your travel plans.

Editor’s note: Rebecca Rutherford works in information technology at Los Alamos National Laboratory.