Atlanta airport stops potential cyberattack Friday morning

ATLANTA - Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport confirmed a brief disruption to its website Friday morning following a denial-of-service (DoS) attack.

What we know:

According to airport officials, the ATL technology team detected the cyberattack and quickly implemented standard protective measures to restore access. While users may have experienced a short delay in accessing the website, airport operations were not affected.

What they're saying:

"There is no impact to operations," officials said in a statement. "The team followed protocol and implemented a standard set of protections to ensure the availability of the website."

The incident appears to have been contained, and the airport’s website is now functioning normally.

What we don't know:

At this time, we do not know who was responsible for the attempted attack. 

Big picture view:

Hackers usually target airports to cause a disruption and gain attention. The most common type of attack is a DoS attack. However, airports do handle massive amounts of personal data, including passenger information, payment details, and travel records, which can also make them an appealing target. 

Some attacks may come from foreign entities looking to gather intelligence, test cybersecurity defenses, or create broader disruptions as part of geopolitical tensions.

A successful attack on an airport can also damage the public's trust in its security and digital infrastructure. 

Cobb County cyberattack

What we know:

A data breach on March 21 forced Cobb County officials to shut down multiple systems last week.

RELATED: Cobb County server outage disrupting services for residents

Cobb County Chairwoman Lisa Cupid confirmed during a press conference that an unauthorized user hacked into the county's servers. Cupid said Wednesday that if they found out any of the taxpayers' sensitive information was compromised, they would notify those who were affected.