US Homeland Security Secretary Marcuawin Mulllen said there is currently no indication of a national security threat behind a communications outage that led to the grounding of all US flights. However, he emphasized that no possible cause, including a cyberattack, can be ruled out. Mullen briefed reporters at the White House, stating that President Donald Trump had been informed of the situation and had spoken with Transportation Secretary Sean Davies.

According to Mullen, Trump took charge of the situation immediately and provided necessary resources and communication to ensure the situation was managed. Mullen denied any connection between the current outage and a separate global outage affecting Microsoft services. The Microsoft outage, which occurred the previous day, affected millions of users worldwide and disrupted access to email and other work tools.

The US flight disruption, which occurred during the day in US Eastern Time, affected millions of users globally and prevented workers from accessing email and other work tools. Companies specializing in artificial intelligence reported problems, and disruptions were recorded in various sectors, including banking, government, healthcare, railways, and courts. Mullen stated that officials had not yet discussed a timeline for resolving the Federal Aviation Administration's communication outage.

Mullen emphasized that the administration's focus is on ensuring passenger safety. He noted that resolving the issue would take time and would not be resolved within an hour. The outage affected all US flights, causing significant disruptions to air travel. The Federal Aviation Administration's communication system is critical to air traffic control, and its outage led to a nationwide grounding of flights.

The US Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration are working to resolve the issue. Mullen assured that officials are working diligently to restore the system and minimize disruptions. The outage is being closely monitored, and officials are providing updates as more information becomes available.

President Trump was kept informed of the situation and had spoken with Transportation Secretary Sean Davies. Mullen praised the response efforts, stating that officials were doing a "wonderful job" in managing the crisis. The administration is working to provide support and resources to affected passengers and airlines.

The incident highlights the importance of robust communication systems in critical infrastructure, such as air traffic control. The investigation into the cause of the outage is ongoing, and officials are working to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Key points

  • US Homeland Security says no cyber threat suspected behind US flight disruptions.

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SaharaWire Newsroom
SaharaWire

Reporting for SaharaWire from the Nairobi bureau.