Title: Cyberattack Disrupts Operations at Kelowna Airport

Operations at Kelowna International Airport (YLW) in British Columbia were interrupted on Tuesday evening due to a cyberattack that compromised passenger information screens and public address systems. The incident began around 5:15 p.m. when pro-Hamas messages were displayed and broadcast throughout the airport.

The flight information screens displayed a message stating, "Hacked By Mutariff Siberislam," also known as Siber Islam. Another message proclaimed, "Israel lost the war, Hamas won the war honorably," while the hackers made derogatory remarks about U.S. President Donald Trump. Concurrently, Arabic chants and music played over the public address system, leading to confusion among travelers in the terminal.

Macklin McCall, a Conservative MLA and critic for public safety, shared a photo of the screen on social media, stating, "Terrorist propaganda has no place in B.C."

Phillip Elchitz, the director of operations at YLW, reported that airport staff quickly restored the flight information display system. However, the public address system remained inoperable, requiring airline personnel to use megaphones to communicate with passengers.

Sam Sammadar, the airport's CEO, expressed concerns about potential threats to passenger safety during an interview on a local radio station. He stated, "We were obviously concerned about if there potentially was a specific threat against the airport, and the safety of our passengers and the crew." Sammadar noted that the airport has protocols in place for responding to cyberattacks, which were effectively implemented during the incident. He confirmed that the hack was limited to public information messaging and did not affect other airport operations or the aviation system.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) assessed the situation and determined that the cyberattack did not pose a threat to the airport or aviation safety, allowing operations to continue. Two flights were delayed as a result of the incident, with one delayed by two hours and another by four hours.

A review of social media accounts linked to Mutariff Siberislam revealed a pattern of similar hacking incidents targeting billboards, news websites, and municipal systems globally in recent months. Sammadar indicated that the attack had been reported to the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security in Ottawa for further investigation.

By Wednesday morning, airport operations had returned to normal. In a related incident, a similar cyberattack occurred at Harrisburg International Airport in Pennsylvania, where a spokesperson stated that the message displayed was political and did not threaten the airport or its passengers. The public address system there was also shut off, and the incident is under police investigation.