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Department of Homeland Security officials say Wednesday night's computer malfunction, which caused a nearly two-hour delay at a half-dozen major airports in processing travelers through customs, was just that - a malfunction.
"At this time, there is no indication the service disruption was malicious in nature," DHS officials from Customs and Border Protection said in a statement, ruling out a cyber attack.
NBC News reported this morning that the issue was in a Customs and Border Protection mainframe computer, and that Homeland Security officials said it was "nothing other than a technical problem."
The issues began at approximately 7 p.m. on DHS computers that check passenger manifests against terror watch lists and other law enforcement databases.
The issues hit at a half-dozen major airports, including John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York; Los Angeles International Airport; Dallas-Fort Worth; Charlotte-Douglas; Baltimore-Washington International; and Logan Airport in Boston.
Customs and Border Protection agents used alternate methods to process passengers during the two-hour outage.
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