Security News > 2022 > October > US airports' sites taken down in DDoS attacks by pro-Russian hackers
The pro-Russian hacktivist group 'KillNet' is claiming large-scale distributed denial-of-service attacks against websites of several major airports in the U.S., making them unaccessible.
The DDoS attacks have overwhelmed the servers hosting these sites with garbage requests, making it impossible for travelers to connect and get updates about their scheduled flights or book airport services.
Notable examples of airport websites that are currently unavailable include the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of the country's larger air traffic hubs, and the Los Angeles International Airport, which is intermittently offline or very slow to respond.
In this case, the DDoS attacks do not impact flights, but they still have an adverse effect on the function of a crucial economic sector, threatening to disrupt or delay associated services.
The U.S., being the de-facto leader of NATO, which is Russia's main military rival, has supplied Ukraine with intelligence and equipment from early on in the war, but DDoS attacks so far seemed to be focused on EU targets, especially after the announcement of sanctions.
KillNet's targeting scope expanded to include the U.S. only last week when the DDoS group attacked government websites in Colorado, Kentucky, and Mississippi, with moderate success.
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