Hawaii’s Oahu Transit Services (OTS), responsible for Honolulu’s TheBus and TheHandi-Van, is currently dealing with a network outage caused by a ransomware attack. The international cybersecurity firm Falcon Feeds identified DragonForce, a Malaysia-based ransomware group, as the perpetrators. As a result, OTS’s websites and real-time transit apps are down, although the bus and van services are still operational, albeit with potential delays.
In response to the attack, OTS is working with federal authorities and Honolulu police to investigate and restore its systems. The attack began at 1 a.m. on Saturday, and the outage has persisted for three days, raising concerns about the severity of the incident. This disruption has significantly impacted passengers, and OTS has apologized for the inconvenience caused.
Former HPD Deputy Chief John McCarthy and cybersecurity expert Debasis Bhattacharya have confirmed that the prolonged outage indicates a serious ransomware attack. Such attacks involve hackers taking control of systems and demanding a ransom to release the data. This incident is part of a larger trend of cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure, including transportation systems, wastewater plants, power grids, and hospitals.
The current situation is reminiscent of a December 2021 ransomware attack that also targeted OTS, where hackers infiltrated the system for at least two weeks. Other critical infrastructure in Hawaii, like the Board of Water Supply and community health centers, have also faced cyberattacks in recent years. The frequency of these incidents underscores the need for robust cybersecurity measures to protect vital public services.
