Important news from the United Kingdom: police have apprehended two teenagers accused of hacking Transport for London (TfL). If you have ridden the Tube or a bus in London, you know that TfL is a large portion of everyday life.
Flowers had previously been arrested in September 2024 for the same hack, but was released on bail. It has been reported by police that he also hacked hospitals in the United States.
This isn't even a rare incident. Earlier this year, in 2023, another hack exposed over 13,000 TfL customer records.
This isn't only a TfL issue. As the U.S. authorities say, Jubair hacked into well over 120 different organizations, including courts and health care companies, and made over $115 million dollars in ransom payments. This is not "teen trouble" - but rather organized crime online.
Regardless of the accepted reasoning, these arrests demonstrate that law enforcement is catching up with hackers, even if they think that they won’t ultimately be identified or face prosecution.
So next time you touch in with your Oyster card, think about everything happening behind the scenes to keep TfL secure. Because if hackers heaven forbid took complete ownership of TfL, the supervision of transport in London would be a total disaster.
Who are the teenagers?
The apprehended teenagers are 18-year-old Owen Flowers from Walsall and 19-year-old Thalha Jubair from East London. Police have confirmed that they both are part of a hacker gang called Scattered Spider.Flowers had previously been arrested in September 2024 for the same hack, but was released on bail. It has been reported by police that he also hacked hospitals in the United States.
What harm did the hack cause?
The attack will not idled buses or trains, nor disrupted to any service, although it did interfere with TfL's internal systems. The compensation process for customers had delayed processing, some sites were taken down, and other information from customers that were taken possibly included names, contact information, and addresses.This isn't even a rare incident. Earlier this year, in 2023, another hack exposed over 13,000 TfL customer records.
Another reason it matters?
TfL helps millions of people every day, so a tiny hack can cause a lot of problems. For example, what if you couldn't see train times? Or get your refund for a nasty commute? Pretty irritating right?This isn't only a TfL issue. As the U.S. authorities say, Jubair hacked into well over 120 different organizations, including courts and health care companies, and made over $115 million dollars in ransom payments. This is not "teen trouble" - but rather organized crime online.
In conclusion,
It is stunning to see how young some of these individuals are to carry out such massive cyber attacks. Is it the money, the thrill, or they alleged the lure of a misguided online group?Regardless of the accepted reasoning, these arrests demonstrate that law enforcement is catching up with hackers, even if they think that they won’t ultimately be identified or face prosecution.
So next time you touch in with your Oyster card, think about everything happening behind the scenes to keep TfL secure. Because if hackers heaven forbid took complete ownership of TfL, the supervision of transport in London would be a total disaster.