Oct 16 - PA system hacked at YYJ

Good morning !

Some chaos occurred at four airports in the US and Canada on Tuesday, including Victoria’s.

Hackers managed to access YYJ’s PA system through its cloud-based system, forcing the airport to switch to a manual operation. Proof that sometimes more technology doesn’t equal more security.

Thankfully, the problem was solved quickly and flights weren’t affected.

— Robyn

Today’s approx. read time: 6 minutes

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NEWS

Victoria’s YYJ among 4 North American airport PA systems hacked with pro-Hamas messaging

YYJ has confirmed its public address system was hacked on Tuesday, with “an unauthorized audio message” championing Hamas and attacking US President Donald Trump broadcast throughout the airport. 

Similar incidents occurred Tuesday at airports in Kelowna, Windsor, Ont., and Harrisburg, Pa. 

YYJ’s PA system has two components: one internal and the other a cloud-based external setup.

“That’s what was breached,” Erin Brocklebank, manager of Communications and Engagement at the Victoria Airport Authority, tells Capital Daily, pointing to the external part.

“So, we were able to turn that off quite quickly and then just go back to our manual system.”

The incident happened around 4:45pm Tuesday and lasted roughly six minutes, Brocklebank said.

“We had no disruption in travel, so operations continued smoothly.” 

The airport authority issued a statement on its website saying, “Earlier today, an unauthorized audio message was broadcast over the public address system at Victoria International Airport (YYJ). Airport staff acted quickly to shut it down. The incident was related to a cloud-based software issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused and thank our passengers for their patience and cooperation.”

In Kelowna, two flights were delayed for 10 minutes on the same night and at roughly the same time. In that case, messages were shown on terminal screens. 

One said, "Israel lost the war; Hamas won the war honorably. You are a pig, Donald Trump.” 

CTV News reported the incident lasted about two and a half minutes. 
One passenger waiting for a flight in Kelowna told CNN that airport staff weren’t sure what was going on.

“They even had to resort to using megaphones to give people boarding information because the intercom was down,” they said.

Screens at YYJ were unaffected, Brocklebank said. She added that the airport authority is working with its software provider to find out more about what happened, and the RCMP and Transport Canada are also involved.  

“People can rest assured; the airport is running smoothly,” Brocklebank said. 

"We're running as usual, and there is no impact to travel or to our passengers.”

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NEWS

UVic researchers develop groundbreaking microscope technology

UVic scientists are taking a closer look at the world than ever before. Researchers from the university have made a “major breakthrough” in electron microscopy, according to UVic. 

The new technology will allow scientists to see atomic-scale structures with excellent clarity—something that, until now, was only achievable using an expensive and large transmission electron microscope (TEM).

The new scanning electron microscope (SEM) is more affordable and uses less energy than the TEM, and it can achieve a resolution of one ten-billionth of a metre (known as sub-Ångström resolution). 

The SEM relies on a technique called ptychography, which creates patterns of scattered electrons to build a highly detailed picture of a sample. With it, a user would be able to see particles smaller than an atom—or 1/10,000 the width of a human hair.

This new technology could create opportunities to expand research at multiple institutions and labs around the world, allowing for complex atom-scale research without prohibitive costs or space issues. 

“This could be transformative for fields like materials science, nanotechnology and structural biology,” Arthur Blackburn, co-director of UVic’s Advanced Microscopy Facility, said in a statement. 

“The advance will most immediately benefit the research and production of 2D materials, which are promising in the development of next-generation electronics. 

“Long term, it could also assist in determining the structure of small proteins, leading to advances in health and disease research.”

Blackburn said the technology rivals the quality of the expensive TEM—and could surpass it in some ways.

“This work shows that high-resolution imaging doesn’t have to rely on expensive, complex equipment,” he said.

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⭐️ Capital Picks

🏠 Gingerbread Showcase ambassador volunteers wanted. 

🧑‍🌾 Support food sovereignty with Erik Blaney: farming, processing, and healing for Tla’amin Nation. Stand with community, soil, and self-determination. Read more.*

💡 Langford Ideas Fair on Saturday 11am-2pm.

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🎶 Men Without Hats—which includes Victoria local, Ivan Doroschuk—release new single, announce upcoming album.

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🗞️ In Other News

Witnesses say woman appeared to be trying to abduct a child in Quadra Village
The uncle of two children under his care says he was putting one child’s sweater on when a woman came up to them on Kings near Dowler Place, picked up the five-year-old, and backed away with her. A passerby in a car yelled at the woman, “I’m calling the cops; this is attempted kidnapping.” The child, screaming and crying, was released and ran to their mother. The woman yelled back that she was trying to save the child. VicPD apprehended the woman under the mental-health act, and said they would release no further details at this time. [CHEK] 

Transport Canada lands on North Saanich’s case after OCP slip-up
Transport Canada has written to the North Saanich council asking it to change the municipality’s new OCP which lists Victoria’s airport (YYJ) for multi-family industrial and commercial use. Transport Canada owns the land and leases it to the Victoria Airport Authority, and residential use is not in its mandate. The in-council conversation led to a remark from Mayor Peter Jones that raised eyebrows and for which the mayor refused to apologize. Coun. Jack McClintock called the comment “unprofessional.” Jones conceded the comment was “stupid” and blamed his own dry sense of humour. [Times Colonist]

BC breweries struggling under current tax rules
It doesn’t look like things are any better for BC’s craft beer industry since we last wrote about its tax concerns in August. The BC Craft Brewers Guild says the Big Three brewers—Molson Coors, Labatt (owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev), and Sleeman (owned by Sapporo)—have hit the highest provincial tax threshold and are receiving subsidies. Meantime, it says, Victoria’s Phillips Brewing effectively pays more in taxes because of the way the system is structured. [Georgia Straight]

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🗓️ Things To Do

🎨 Watercolour Painting with Richard Wong: Learn to capture vibrant sunsets in this beginner-friendly, relaxing watercolour workshop at the Gardens at HCP today. 1-4pm. [Info]

👻 Curiosities of Craigdarroch: The After-Hours Tour: Join an unforgettable journey into the shadows of history at Craigdarroch Castle, now through Nov. 2. [Info]

🧶 Craft & Connect: Drop in to work on your own project or try something new at Luther Court Society today. 3-4pm. [Info]

🛍️ Esquimalt Farmers Market - Fall Indoor Season: Shop for fall produce, baked goods, prepared meals, and more at the indoor market in Esquimalt Rec Centre today. 4:30-7pm. [Info]

🥒 Pickle & Preserve: Fermentation Fun: Learn simple and tasty methods of preserving veggies through demonstrations, tastings, and discussions at Patio Gardens today. 6-8pm. [Info]

🌱 Grow Your Own Food 101 Workshop: Learn beginner-friendly gardening basics with Kayla Siefried from the Compost Education Centre at the Learning Commons in Langford today. 6:30-8:30pm. [Info]

🎶 Ryan Harris: The BC singer-songwriter will be at Capital Ballroom tonight. 7pm. [Info]

🐺 High Moon: A Werewolf Western: Walk through a remote wild west town with werewolves lurking around every corner in this outdoor theatrical adventure at Heritage Acres tonight. 8-9pm. [Info]

🎸 Yukon Blonde: The popular rockers will take the stage at Capital Ballroom. Sat. 8pm. [Info]

🎤 Bored Teachers: See the standup show by teachers, for teachers as they discuss the hilarious daily struggles in the classroom at McPherson Playhouse. Sun. 3pm & 7pm. [Info]

👀 In Case You Missed It

Wednesday’s headlines: Southern Resident killer whale census stuck in the 70s; New charity vending machines coming to Vic; Tiny Town taking off in spring. [Oct. 15]

Boil water advisory: East Sooke Wilderness Mountains. 

Umo users need to update their credit card information as BC Transit introduces new fare payment method. Times Colonist

Car rams into house; house on fire in Boswer. [CTV]

Parksville woman loses $200K in cryptocurrency swindle. [CHEK] 

Victoria Regional Transit Plan: BC Transit survey.

Residential leaf collection is ongoing in James Bay, Fairfield, Rockland, and Gonzales.

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