Three Canadian airports hacked to display pro-Hamas messages
A pro-Hamas message displayed on one of several screens at Canadian airports after their system was hacked. The incident caused several flight delays in Kelowna, Victoria and other airports.
The flight-information screens and public-address systems at three Canadian and two U.S. airports were briefly hacked to broadcast a pro-Hamas message that heaped scorn upon Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Airports in Windsor, Ont., and in the B.C. cities of Kelowna and Victoria all grappled with the cyberattack Tuesday, according to Transport Canada. The federal regulator said Wednesday that it is working with police to ensure there was no impact to the safety and security of these facilities and to prevent similar incidents from reoccurring.
The agency referred questions about any investigations into the cybersecurity breach to the local police in these three cities.
David Shipley, chief executive of Beauceron Security, a New Brunswick software and training company with clients around North America, said Tuesday’s hack appears to be a stunt not a serious attack, noting that there has been no mention of ransom demands from those behind the breach.
He also pointed to the account mentioned on airport screens, continuously promoting news stories about the hack, as more proof that the responsible person or group is unsophisticated.
“When you’re victorious, you generally don’t need to self-promote,” he said. “It’s like it’s the cyber equivalent of someone running around saying ‘I’m cool’ - the moment that you say you’re cool, you probably aren’t.”
Still, he said, the incident – which he likened to cyber graffiti – underscores how smaller local police departments or RCMP detachments are ill-suited to confront the threat of hackers operating from across the globe.
“I couldn’t be more blunt: How is it [okay] in any way, shape or form for a 21st-century country to expect these tiny police forces to have any resources to help the airports in this case?” he said. “It’s beyond ludicrous and it just highlights we’re not a serious country.”
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