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Teenager Arrested In Relation to Transport for London Cyber-attack

Elizabeth Greenberg

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tfl cyber-attack
The cyber-attack led to minimal disruption to services, but did potentially leak customer data to hackers. 

Following a cybersecurity incident which affected Transport for London (TfL), the National Crime Agency has arrested a 17-year-old boy.

Around 5,000 customer’s banking details, including account numbers and sort codes, could have been accessed as a result of the attack, with names, emails, and home addresses accessed.

The teenage boy was arrested in Walsall, England, on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act offences in relation to the attack which took place on 1 September.

Following questions from NCA officers, the teenager was bailed.

TfL, which runs London’s transport network from buses to the Tube, said the attack could have lead to some disrupted services, but now, the TfL’s chief technology officer, Shashi Verma, said the incident lead to “very little impact” on customers thus far.

In an update, Verma said that refund data from Oyster cards – passes for London transport – may have been accessed as part of the account.

“As a precautionary measure, we will be contacting these customers directly as soon as possible to advise them of the support we can provide and the steps they can take,” he said in a statement.

“We have notified the Information Commissioner’s Office and are working with our partners to progress the investigation. We will provide further updates as soon as possible,” he added.


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The CTO has also assured that the TfL will take additional security measures, including an “all-staff IT identity check.”

The NCA has said that it is working to support the TfL following the cyber-attack.

“Attacks on public infrastructure such as this can be hugely disruptive and lead to severe consequences for local communities and national systems,” deputy director Paul Foster, head of the NCA’s national cyber crime unit, said.

“The swift response by TfL following the incident has enabled us to act quickly, and we are grateful for their continued co-operation with our investigation, which remains ongoing.”

Elizabeth Greenberg

Staff Writer

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