A significant cybersecurity incident has disrupted public Wi-Fi services at 19 major railway stations across the UK, including London Euston, Manchester Piccadilly, and Birmingham New Street. The British Transport Police are currently investigating the attack, which has left many passengers unable to access the internet while traveling.
Key Takeaways
Incident Overview: Public Wi-Fi at 19 Network Rail-managed stations was hacked, displaying inappropriate content.
Affected Stations: Major stations include London Euston, Paddington, Manchester Piccadilly, and Birmingham New Street.
Investigation Underway: British Transport Police are investigating the incident, which involved unauthorized changes to the Wi-Fi landing page.
No Personal Data Compromised: Authorities confirmed that no personal data was affected during the incident.
Details Of The Incident
On Wednesday evening, the public Wi-Fi network at several major railway stations was compromised, leading to the suspension of services. Passengers attempting to connect were redirected to a page that displayed Islamophobic messages and references to terrorist attacks in Europe.
Network Rail quickly took the affected Wi-Fi services offline and announced that a full investigation was underway. A spokesperson stated, "The incident is subject to a full investigation. The Wi-Fi is provided by a third party and is self-contained, meaning it does not collect any personal data."
Investigation Progress
The British Transport Police (BTP) received reports of the cyber-attack around 5:03 PM on September 25. They are collaborating with Network Rail to investigate the matter thoroughly. Telent, the company responsible for managing the Wi-Fi system, confirmed that the unauthorized changes were made from a legitimate administrator account.
Arrest Made: A man employed by Global Reach, the firm that provides the Wi-Fi service, has been arrested under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and the Malicious Communications Act 1988.
Impact On Passengers
The disruption has caused significant inconvenience for travelers, particularly during peak hours. Many passengers rely on public Wi-Fi for navigation, communication, and entertainment while traveling. The affected stations include:
London Stations: King’s Cross, London Bridge, Euston, Victoria, Cannon Street, Charing Cross, Liverpool Street, Clapham Junction, Waterloo, and Paddington.
Other Major Stations: Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool Lime Street, Birmingham New Street, Glasgow Central, Leeds City, Bristol Temple Meads, Edinburgh Waverley, Reading, and Guildford.
Previous Cybersecurity Concerns
This incident follows a recent cyber-attack on Transport for London (TfL), which raised concerns about the security of public transport systems. In that case, a teenager was arrested in connection with the breach, which potentially compromised customer details. TfL had to restrict access to live travel data while addressing the issue.
As investigations continue, Network Rail anticipates that the Wi-Fi services will be restored by the weekend, pending final security checks. Authorities are urging passengers to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity as they work to enhance cybersecurity measures across public transport networks.
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Sources
Cybersecurity Incident" Hits Wi-Fi Networks At UK's Largest Rail Stations, NDTV.com.
Wifi suspended at big UK train stations after ‘cybersecurity incident’ | Rail transport | The Guardian, The Guardian.