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A cybersecurity incident is currently being investigated by the public body responsible for maintaining the United Kingdom’s train infrastructure. It was reported that a message was displayed to passengers via a compromised WiFi landing page, that was both Islamophobic in nature and referenced the 2017 Manchester Arena bombings.
Network Rail confirmed to ReadWrite that 19 of Network Rail’s managed stations were affected by the cyberattack.
In London, ten major stations were affected including King’s Cross, as well as other key commuter stations such as Manchester Piccadilly, Birmingham New Street, Leeds, Reading, Glasgow Central, Bristol Temple Meads, and more.
A Network Rail spokesperson told ReadWrite: “Last night the public wifi at 19 of Network Rail’s managed stations was subjected to a cyber security incident and was quickly taken off-line.
“The wifi is provided by a third party, is self-contained and is a simple ‘click & connect’ service that doesn’t collect any personal data.”
They continued: “The incident is subject to a continuing investigation, but police are seeking help from an employee of one of the service providers. Once our final security checks have been completed we anticipate the service will be restored by the weekend.”
Speaking to ReadWrite, a British Transport Police spokesperson added: “We received reports at around 5.03pm yesterday (25 September) of a cyber-attack displaying Islamophobic messaging on some Network Rail Wi-Fi services. We are working alongside Network Rail to investigate the incident at pace.”
The WiFi is run by a third party, Telent, with the actual internet service provided by another company, Global Reach.
Cited by the Associated Press, Telent said an “unauthorized change” to the landing page was made from a “legitimate administrator account” and that the matter was now subject to criminal investigation.
Passengers affected by cyberattack at major station
A number of commuters expressed their alarm after receiving security alerts at different stations.
????
Just saw some random islamphobic propaganda* when connecting to the free station WiFi at Guildford station. @SW_Help you have any idea how this has happened?
*At least I think it was, was only there a few seconds
— Luke (@LukeDickoYork) September 25, 2024
@NetworkRailBHM Do you know your free station WiFi has been hacked in the agreement page
— Stacey (Lola) (@LolaDeidreUK) September 25, 2024
One user wrote on X: “Just saw some random islamophobic propaganda* when connecting to the free station WiFi at Guildford station. @SW_Help you have any idea how this has happened?” Another user said: “Do you know your free station WiFi has been hacked in the agreement page.”
It isn’t the first time the U.K. has faced a cybersecurity incident on critical infrastructure. In June, ReadWrite reported that a ransomware attack caused canceled procedures in major London hospitals.
ReadWrite has reached out to Telent for comment.
Featured image: Canva
