Two law enforcement officials have told CNN that early reports indicate the communications failure behind the nationwide ground stop is not a cyber attack. It is the first indication from any official source of what the cause is not.
CNN's Evan Perez and Hannah Rabinowitz reported at 4.40pm ET (21:40 UK) on 13 November 2026:
"Preliminary reports indicate this is not a cyberattack, according to two law enforcement officials."
The officials are not named, and the report has not been independently checked. Neither the FAA nor Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has publicly ruled out a cyber attack, and neither has given a cause. The FAA's advisory cites only "reasons of safety".
Duffy said earlier on X that the ground stop followed "a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers" and that FAA technicians were investigating.
SecurityWeek reports that federal officials had not said what caused the disruption or whether a possible cyber attack was being investigated.