Hacker breaches airport PA system to broadcast political messages

Thursday 16 October 2025 - 07:50

By: Dakir Madiha

Hacker breaches airport PA system to broadcast political messages

A public address system at Harrisburg International Airport (HIA) in Pennsylvania was hacked on Tuesday evening, allowing an unauthorized user to broadcast political messages targeting former U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The incident, which lasted approximately 10 minutes, is under investigation by authorities.

HIA officials confirmed the breach, stating that "an unauthorized user gained access to the airport PA system and played an unauthorized recorded message." The hacker, identifying as "Turkish hacker Cyber Islam," was heard proclaiming "Free Palestine" and using explicit language to criticize Trump and Netanyahu. Videos of the incident quickly circulated on social media.

While the airport categorized the announcement as a political message without threats to airlines, passengers, or employees, heightened security measures were implemented. A Delta Air Lines flight preparing to board was delayed by 45 minutes as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) conducted a precautionary security sweep of the aircraft. Delta Airlines emphasized that the safety of its passengers and employees remains its top priority.

The FBI has previously warned about cybersecurity risks targeting the airline industry, highlighting a group known as "Scattered Spider," which uses social engineering techniques to bypass security measures. However, it is unclear if this group is linked to the incident at HIA.

The airport resumed normal operations shortly after the breach, and the public address system remains under investigation.