The Port of Seattle, the U.S. government agency that oversees the Seattle Port and Airport, is informing the public of a data breach affecting approximately 90,000 people. The breach is the result of a ransomware attack that targeted the agency in August 2024.
The attack was discovered on August 24 and disrupted multiple services and systems, including reservation systems, passenger display boards, the Port of Seattle website and the flySEA app. There were also flight delays at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
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Three weeks after the initial disclosure, the Port of Seattle confirmed that the Rhysida ransomware was behind the breach. The agency decided not to give in to the cybercriminals’ ransom, even though they threatened to post stolen data on their website.
“ We refused to pay the ransom demanded and as a result, the attackers may respond by publishing data they claim to have stolen ,” the Port of Seattle said on September 13, 2024
“Our investigation into the data stolen by the attackers is ongoing, but it appears that some of the data was obtained in mid- to late August. Assessing the data obtained is complex and takes time“.
See also: Check Point acknowledges data breach as “old”
Port of Seattle: Data breach affects approximately 90,000 people
Last Thursday, the agency announced that it was notifying about 90,000 people affected by the data breach. About 71,000 of those affected are from Washington.
According to a copy of the breach notification letters, the attackers stole various employee, contractor and parking data in various combinations, including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers (or last four digits of a Social Security number), driver's license or other state ID numbers and some medical information.
The Port of Seattle also said it stores “very little information” about airport or marine passengers and that its payment processing systems were not affected by the attack.
“ At no point did this incident impact the ability to safely travel to or from SEA Airport or the use of the Port’s marine facilities ,” the agency added . “ Proprietary systems of major airlines and cruise partners were not impacted, nor were the systems of federal partners such as the Federal Aviation Administration, the Transportation Security Administration, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection .”
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The Port of Seattle data breach was triggered by a ransomware attack. This means that the agency, like all organizations, must take steps to prevent ransomware attacks and data breaches:
- Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all user accounts
- Enable firewall on all devices connected to the network
- Encryption of sensitive data
- Updating devices and systems with the latest security patches
- Conducting regular security audits and penetration testing
- Using strong, unique passwords
- Limiting user access to only necessary systems and information
- Use solutions email security for additional protection against phishing attacks
- Recovery plan for rapid restoration of systems in the event of an attack
- Regular data backups
- Update on new threats
Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com
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