A cyber attack has disrupted public wifi services at major railway stations across the UK. Passengers at stations such as Manchester Piccadilly, Birmingham New Street, and 11 stations in London reportedly encountered messages related to terrorism incidents when trying to connect to the wifi network. The attack, which occurred on Wednesday, prompted Network Rail to suspend wifi services at its managed stations nationwide in response to what was described as a “cyber security incident.”
According to the Manchester Evening News, the hacked wifi webpage displayed messages such as “We love you, Europe” and shared details about terror attacks. Network Rail indicated that British Transport Police are currently investigating the incident. The public wifi service at these stations, provided by a third party, has been halted during the ongoing investigation. Notably, St Pancras was the only Network Rail-managed station that remained unaffected by the cyber attack.
A Network Rail spokesperson stated, “We are currently dealing with a cyber security incident affecting the public wifi at Network Rail’s managed stations. British Transport Police are investigating the incident. This service is provided via a third party and has been suspended while an investigation is under way.” The disruption to wifi services at the affected train stations raises concerns about the vulnerability of public networks to cyber threats, highlighting the need for enhanced security measures to safeguard passenger information and connectivity.