Cyber Attack Disrupts Wi-Fi at Major UK Railway Stations

26/09/2024

A cyber security incident has affected public Wi-Fi services at 19 major railway stations across the UK, causing significant disruption

The attack, which occurred on Wednesday, targeted Network Rail-managed stations, including London Euston, Manchester Piccadilly, and Birmingham New Street.

Passengers attempting to connect to the Wi-Fi were redirected to a page displaying the message “We love you, Europe” along with information about terror attacks

The compromised webpage reportedly contained Islamophobic content and references to various terrorist incidents in the UK and Europe.

Network Rail has suspended Wi-Fi services nationwide while an investigation is underway

A Network Rail spokesperson told the BBC: “We are currently dealing with a cyber security incident affecting the public Wi-Fi at Network Rail’s managed stations.

“This service is provided via a third party and has been suspended while an investigation is underway”.

The British Transport Police were alerted to the cyber-attack at approximately 5:03 PM on 25 September and are working with Network Rail to investigate the matter.

Affected stations include major transport hubs in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Edinburgh, among others

St Pancras is understood to be the only Network Rail-managed station unaffected by the incident.

As of Thursday morning, Wi-Fi services at the impacted stations remained offline. Network Rail and its third-party Wi-Fi provider, Telent, are collaborating with relevant stakeholders to address the situation.

The incident has raised concerns about the security of public Wi-Fi networks and the potential for cyber attacks to disrupt critical infrastructure.

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