WorldEuropeUK: Network Rail public Wi-Fi breach

UK: Network Rail public Wi-Fi breach

Type of event:
Cyberattack

Victims

Wounded

Date

September 26, 2024

What happened

On 25 September 2024, the public Wi-Fi service at 19 railway stations in the United Kingdom, operated by Network Rail, was hacked, spreading messages about past Islamic terrorist attacks in Europe and the United Kingdom. The hacker attack was widespread among users, who connected to the public Wi-Fi network to find messages on their digital devices containing details of the terrorist acts and images taken from the news. Network Rail, acting quickly, suspended access to the Wi-Fi and said that services would be restored over the weekend. The authorities have launched an investigation and have already arrested a suspect. This is an employee of Global Reach Technologies, one of the companies that provides internet access to some Network Rail stations. The man is accused of computer crime and malicious communications. The authorities and Network Rail are investigating further into the incident to assess whether other organisations were involved in the attack.

Where it happened

Main sources