Travelers at airports in Pennsylvania and British Columbia were shocked on Tuesday when loudspeakers unexpectedly erupted with messages supporting Hamas and disparaging former President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Videos from passengers captured the unauthorized broadcasts echoing through terminals at Harrisburg International Airport and Kelowna International Airport. In Kelowna, there were also mentions of wanting a “free Palestine.”
Authorities conveyed that this cyber incident affected both the public address system and flight displays, causing significant disruption for passengers. Thankfully, it didn’t create any safety issues for flights.
According to Harrisburg’s airport spokesperson, an “unauthorized user” accessed the PA system and played these messages. The content was political rather than threatening in nature.
Scott Miller, the spokesperson, confirmed the system was quickly shut down, and police launched an investigation. Out of caution, one flight was checked, but no issues were found, and it took off safely.
Kelowna officials noticed a similar breach occurring about 3,000 miles away. They reported that an outsider had access to both the flight info displays and the PA system.
In the wake of the disruptions, they noted that some flights experienced delays, and a video captured a passenger exclaiming, “Free Palestine!” Another traveler expressed confusion, saying, “No one informed us what was happening. There was no crisis response.” Passengers were left puzzled.
Images circulating online displayed pro-Hamas messages before staff managed to disable the systems. Kelowna Airport stated that they had removed the unauthorized messages and restored flight information, working to reset the audio system completely.
Authorities in Canada, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, are actively investigating the incident alongside Transport Canada and other agencies.
No group has taken credit for the incident. However, digital breaches like this have become more common since the escalation of the Israel-Gaza conflict in 2023, with pro-Palestinian hacktivists targeting various platforms worldwide.
This incident has exposed vulnerabilities within airport networks that increasingly depend on cloud-based systems for audio and display functions.
Interestingly, back in June, a criminal organization had already infiltrated the computer systems of multiple airlines in both the U.S. and Canada, according to the FBI.
Additionally, a month later, a software failure caused major disruptions at European airports, affecting numerous airlines’ check-in systems.
Groups identifying as pro-Palestinian have claimed hundreds of attacks on transport networks, financial institutions, and government entities over the past two years. Notably, one called the Dark Storm Team has previously targeted U.S. airports and other infrastructures.
Others, aligned with longstanding anti-Israel campaigns, have also been active, defacing public websites across North America.
