Cyber Incident Victim: Long Beach Airport
Date:
Nov 2023
Location:
United States of America
Summary
A cyberattack targeted Long Beach Airport, disrupting its main website and linked payment processing systems, prompting authorities to take the site offline temporarily. The incident did not impact other critical operations, including public WiFi, airline internet systems, air traffic control, the mobile app, or parking payment kiosks, as these function on separate servers isolated from the compromised city network. The city initiated an investigation with cybersecurity consultants and involved the FBI, confirming a network security breach occurred. Flight information was redirected to the city’s website to assist passengers during the outage.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On November 14, 2023, Long Beach Airport (LGB) experienced a cyberattack that disrupted its primary website operations. The attack compelled airport authorities to take the website offline temporarily, redirecting users to the Long Beach city website, which subsequently added supplemental flight information to assist passengers. The compromise affected not only the website’s availability but also certain payment processing systems linked through the website infrastructure. Initial assessments confirmed that core airport operational systems remained unaffected, including public WiFi, airline-specific internet systems, air traffic control networks, the airport’s mobile application, and on-site parking payment kiosks. These systems operated on servers segregated from the city’s main network infrastructure hosting the compromised website. The City of Long Beach’s Department of Technology and Innovation detected the potential cybersecurity incident on the same day, triggering an immediate investigation.
The City engaged its contracted cybersecurity consultant firm and formally notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to assist in the response. A preliminary investigation confirmed a network security incident had occurred, though no further technical specifics regarding the attack vector or threat actor were disclosed publicly. Despite the website disruption, airport flight operations, passenger services, and physical security systems continued functioning normally without reported interruptions. The incident’s primary operational impact centered on the unavailability of the website and its associated payment portals, necessitating temporary alternative arrangements for passenger information dissemination through the city’s digital platforms. No data breaches or compromises of passenger information were disclosed in the initial statement. The City emphasized its coordinated response with federal authorities and cybersecurity experts to address the incident and restore affected services.