BlockBeats reported on September 19 that according to Fortune magazine, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was attacked by a cyber attack in August. Hackers demanded that the operator pay 100 bitcoins in exchange for the files they stole in the cyber attack. These files were posted on the dark web this week, airport officials said on Wednesday.
The Port of Seattle, which owns and operates the airport, has decided not to pay the ransom, officials said.
The FBI is conducting a criminal investigation, said Lance Lyttle, director of aviation management at the port.
Lyttle testified to a U.S. Senate committee that the airport appeared to have contained the attack, but the hackers still encrypted some data.
“On Monday, they posted copies of eight files stolen from the system on the dark web and demanded 100 bitcoins for the data,” Lyttle said.
Lyttle did not describe the contents of the documents. He said the airport will contact any individuals whose information may have been stolen.
Airport officials said paying the ransom was not an efficient use of taxpayer funds.
The airport is still recovering from the attack that began on August 24. The attack occurred during a busy period, the week before the US Labor Day holiday.
While flights were able to operate normally, the attack caused chaos in ticketing, self-service check-in and baggage handling. Passengers on smaller airlines had to use paper boarding passes.
