Flight info screens at Vietnam’s 2 major airports hacked

HANOI, Vietnam – Screens displaying flight information at Vietnam’s two major airports were hacked Friday to contain distorted information about the South China Sea and insult Vietnam and the Philippines, state media reported.

The sound systems at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City respectively were also affected, forcing airport authorities to switch off the flight information screens and sound system, the online VnExpress said.

The website of the national carrier, Vietnam Airlines, was also briefly hacked, it said.

The paper quoted Vice Minister of Transport Nguyen Nhat as saying the incidents did not affect the security or air traffic control at the airports.

Earlier this month, an international tribunal issued a ruling in favour of the Philippines that invalidated China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea. Vietnam also has overlapping claims to parts of the sea, which is rich in natural resources.

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This story has been corrected to show that the screens affected were those that displayed flight information, and did not involve passenger check-ins.

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