October 18, 2025 Public announcement systems at several airports in Canada and the United States were hijacked this week to play recordings praising Hamas and criticizing former U.S. president Donald Trump.
The incidents, which affected airports in Windsor, Kelowna and Victoria, as well as several in the U.S., are under investigation by federal authorities. Reuters reports that the messages were broadcast after threat actors exploited vulnerabilities in third-party software used to manage the airports’ communications infrastructure.
While no flight operations were disrupted, the attacks raised fresh concerns about cybersecurity in public infrastructure. Canadian and American authorities said early evidence suggests the same attackers may have gained access through misconfigured or outdated audio management systems connected to the internet.
The incident highlights how operational technology — systems once thought to be isolated from the web — are increasingly targeted by politically motivated hackers. Experts say the breach underscores the importance of regular patching, restricted network access and continuous monitoring to prevent similar intrusions.
