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City officials dispute reports of hack or ransom; confirm malware was found

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CLEVELAND — As technical issues at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport stretch into a sixth day, airport officials confirmed that malware was discovered on the airport’s computing systems, but they disputed reports that the systems were hacked and that there were ransom demands as a result.

A statement released Friday afternoon by the city states: “On April 21, malware was discovered on several Cleveland Hopkins International Airport computing systems. As a result, the Flight Information Display, Baggage Information Display and email systems were impacted. These systems were not accessed by any unauthorized personnel (hacked) and there were no ransom demands.”

The City of Cleveland and Cleveland Hopkins are continuing to work to resolve the technical issues impacting “a small number of airport systems,” including screens in the airport that display flight and baggage information, as well the airport’s email systems.

Airport safety and security operations are still functioning as normal, officials reiterated Friday.

Airport officials recommended that travelers seeking information check the Cleveland Airport website or speak to the airport’s special customer information teams.

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