Ottawa, 17 October (H.S.): Hackers breached the public address and flight information systems at four airports across Canada and the United States on Tuesday, broadcasting unauthorized messages that praised Hamas and criticized U.S. President Donald Trump.

The affected airports include three in Canada—Kelowna International Airport and Victoria International Airport in British Columbia, and Windsor International Airport in Ontario—as well as Harrisburg International Airport in Pennsylvania.

According to officials, the hackers exploited a vulnerability in a third-party, cloud-based software provider used by the airports.

This allowed them to take control of the public announcement (PA) systems and, in at least one case, the flight information display screens. The broadcasts included foreign language messages and music.Airport authorities responded by switching to internal systems to regain control.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security have all launched investigations into the coordinated cyberattack. The targeted locations are all considered smaller, regional airports rather than major international hubs.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar