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The Maui News
A cybersecurity attack on Hawaii airport system websites was possibly linked to similar incidents across the country by the Russia-based hacker group "Killnet," according to state officials.
Pro-Russia hackers reportedly coordinated a denial-of-service attack that rendered the websites of some major U.S. airports unreachable early Monday, though officials said flights were not affected, the Associated Press reported.
Denial-of-service attacks, while a nuisance, are different from hacking that involves breaking into networks and can do serious damage, according to the AP.
In Hawaii, the attack was focused on systems hosting the landing page for 15 Hawaii airport websites, including the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, according to a news release from the state Department of Defense on Tuesday.
"The State of Hawaii, in cooperation with federal partners, routinely works to prepare for and respond to cybersecurity-related incidents," Gov. David Ige said. "This attack was focused only on the public-facing website for the airports and had no impact on internal systems, operations, or traveler safety."
The Hawaii Office of Homeland Security is supporting the response efforts of the Office of Enterprise Technology Services following the attack, the news release said. In 2021, the two offices established the state's first Cyber Incident and Cyber Disruption Response Plans.
"We are in close contact with our federal partners at the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding the situation," said Office of Homeland Security Administrator Frank Pace. "Events such as this highlight the importance of all organizations, public and private, remaining vigilant of cyber threats and implementing recommended security measures."