Cybersecurity attack on Hawaiʻi airport websites had no impact on internal systems

The Hawaiʻi Office of Homeland Security is supporting the response efforts of the Office of Enterprise Technology Services, regarding a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack possibly linked to similar incidents across the country by the Russia-based hacker group “Killnet,” according to the State of Hawaiʻi, Department of Defense.

DoD officials say the attack was focused on systems hosting the landing page for 15 Hawaiʻi airport websites, including the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.

“The State of Hawai‘i, in cooperation with federal partners, routinely works to prepare for and respond to cybersecurity-related incidents,” said Gov. David Ige. “This attack was focused only on the public-facing website for the airports and had no impact on internal systems, operations, or traveler safety.”

Office of Homeland Security Administrator Frank Pace said the office is in close contact with federal partners at the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding the situation. “Events such as this highlight the importance of all organizations, public and private, remaining vigilant of cyber threats and implementing recommended security measures,” said Pace.

The Hawaiʻi Office of Homeland Security leads statewide efforts to prevent, respond to, and mitigate any such incident. In 2021, OHS and ETS established the State’s first Cyber Incident and Cyber Disruption Response Plans.