Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is currently mired in its sixth day of computer issues, with screens displaying arrivals, departures, and baggage claims still left blank.
Sources told WKYC's Tom Meyer the glitch was the result of a deliberate hack, and that the FBI is currently involved in investigating the case. However, Cleveland City Hall released a statement Friday denying any hack occurred, while at the same time confirming harmful malware was discovered in the system.
"These systems were not accessed by any unauthorized personnel (hacked) and there were no ransom demands," the statement read.
The city—as it has done throughout this ordeal—also maintained the situation was isolated to the passenger information screens and email system, and has had no effect on security or operations. This comes on the heels of officials denying a Thursday report that employee payroll records were possibly exposed, although WKYC has learned airport payroll has been forced to move operations to city hall to rebuild its system so about 400 airport employees can be paid on time.
The city's full statement reads as follows:
"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 International Airport continue working to resolve the technical issues impacting a small number of airport systems. The City reiterates there is no impact to the airport’s security and operations systems.
"Again, all airport safety and security operations are functioning as normal. However, email, airport flight and baggage displays are currently unavailable. Passengers can find similar flight information online at www.clevelandairport.com or via the airport’s special customer information teams.
"The City of Cleveland will continue to provide updates on the situation as they become available."