A Turkish hacker group claimed responsibility for hacking and broadcasting pro-Hamas messages at four North American airports on Tuesday.
The Mutarrif Siberislam hacking group claimed on Telegram to have hacked the sound systems of Canada’s Windsor International Airport, Victoria International Airport, and Kelowna International Airport, along with the US’s Harrisburg International Airport, in memory of deceased Izz ad-Din al-Qassam spokesperson Abu Obaida.
“Hacked by Mutarrif, free Palestine, free Gaza, f**k Netanyahu and Trump,” read one announcement inputted into airport systems.
The group also claimed to have broadcast images of the Hamas flag, Abu Obaida, and deceased Hamas leaders Mohammed Dief and Yahya Sinwar on airport screens.
“Israel lost the war, Hamas won the war honorably,” read one broadcast. “You are a pig, Donald Trump.”
Threats of future cyber attacks
The hacker group said that the operation, named “Abu Obaida’s executioners,” was just the beginning of its attacks.
“We’ve just started,” Siberislam wrote on Telegram. “Trump and Netanyahu shouldn’t be happy that the war is over. The war has just moved from Gaza to their homes.”
Transport Canada said Thursday that it was aware of the hacks in the Ontario and two British Columbia airports. It was working closely with federal security partners to ensure that there were no impacts on safety and to prevent similar incidents in the future.
“Transport Canada will also continue to work with air operators to mitigate the potential consequences of any incident – cybernetics-related or otherwise – on transportation safety, security, and operational efficiency,” said the department.
Windsor airport said that through the hacking of a cloud-based software provider, a third party was able to gain access on Tuesday to flight information display screens and public address systems to display images and make announcements. The airport assured that there was little disruption to the airport’s operations, and authorities quickly gained control of the systems.
The BC airports’ spokespeople also stated on Tuesday that the hack of PA systems and display screens occurred through a third-party cloud-based software. At Kelowna, the penetration of cybersecurity also caused the delay of flights.
US Transport Department Secretary Sean Duffy said on X on Thursday that the hacking of the Harrisburg airport was “unacceptable and understandably scared travelers.”
Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick said on social media on Wednesday that the incident in his state was “extremely disturbing.”
“Bad actors who target and threaten our nation’s transportation security must be held accountable, and any vulnerabilities to our airports must be addressed,” said McCormick. “Our airport security must be vigilant against such threats.”
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said that the hacking of Canadian airports was a reminder of the threat posed by Hamas supporters.
“While the US-led peace plan is bringing the war in the Middle East to an end, the war waged by extremists against Canadian communities and values is intensifying,” CIJA said on Wednesday.
B'nai Brith Canada said on social media that Canadians deserved to know how the hack occurred. It called on the Transportation Minister to investigate how a foreign actor was able to gain control of Canadian infrastructure.
Siberislam claimed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was making inquiries into them.
“We are offering this airport attack as a gift to the oppressed Palestinian people, especially Commander Abu Ubaydah, and to the American dog who perpetrated the vile coup attempt in our country on July 15th, for exploiting Muslim and oppressed peoples around the world,” wrote Siberislam.
“We’re just getting started. We’re telling the FBI dogs monitoring the channel: Come find us and kill us. My greatest desire is to be killed by America or Israel.”
Some time after Siberislam threatened Duffy with a “second September 11,” and Israeli and American leaders with “a new attack every day,” the group’s X account was suspended. However, Siberislam opened up a new account on Thursday.