Teen 'hackers' TfL system cyber attack cost £39million, court hears

Two teenagers, Thalha Jubair, 19, and Owen Flowers, 18, stand accused of launching a cyber attack on Transport for London (TfL) that allegedly cost the organization £39 million. The court heard that the attack, which prosecutors described as 'highly sophisticated,' took place between August 31 and September 3 last year. During this period, the hackers reportedly breached TfL’s systems and disrupted services used daily by millions of commuters. The cyber assault caused significant issues for Oyster card users, as TfL was unable to process payments on both the Oyster and contactless payment apps. Additionally, registering Oyster cards to customer accounts became impossible, and live Tube arrival information on TfL Go and the TfL website was disabled. Customers also found themselves unable to access their online journey histories, leading to widespread inconvenience and operational chaos. Prosecutors claimed the ultimate goal of the attack was to install ransomware, a form of malicious software that can lock systems until a ransom is paid. The teenagers are alleged to be members of an online criminal collective known as 'Scattered Spider,' which has been linked to various cyber crimes. Despite the charges, Jubair and Flowers both deny involvement in the hacking incident. Jubair, from Bow in East London, denies conspiring to carry out unauthorized acts against TfL’s computer systems and causing risk to human welfare, as well as failing to comply with police requests to disclose device passwords. Flowers, from Walsall in the West Midlands, also denies conspiracy related to unauthorized acts against TfL and other healthcare organizations’ computer systems. Their trial has been scheduled to start on June 8 next year, with a preliminary hearing set for February 13, which both defendants will attend via video link. Meanwhile, the judge has ordered that both remain in custody until the trial. Paul Foster, Deputy Director and head of the National Cyber Crime Unit at the National Crime Agency (NCA), highlighted the severity of the incident, emphasizing the significant disruption caused to TfL, regarded as part of the UK's critical national infrastructure. He further pointed out that the NCA had issued warnings earlier in the year about the rising threat from cyber criminals in the UK and other English-speaking countries, with groups like Scattered Spider exemplifying this trend. The NCA, in partnership with UK police and international agencies including the FBI, is actively working to identify offenders within these criminal networks and bring them to justice. The incident underscores the growing challenge that cyber attacks pose to essential public services and the increasing sophistication of criminal actors behind such breaches.