17-year-old boy arrested in connection with cyber attack on TfL

A teenager has been arrested after Transport for London was the target of a massive cyberattack almost two weeks ago.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the 17-year-old was arrested as part of the investigation into the cyberattack that began on September 1 in Walsall in the West Midlands.

He was arrested on 5 September on suspicion of breaching the Computer Misuse Act and released on bail after being questioned by NCA officers.

According to TfL, the bank account numbers and sort codes of around 5,000 customers were compromised in the attack.

Paul Foster, head of the NCA’s National Cyber ​​Crime Unit, said: “We have been working hard to support Transport for London following a cyber attack on their network and to identify the criminals responsible.

“Attacks of this kind on public infrastructure can cause enormous disruption and have serious consequences for local communities and national systems.

“TfL’s rapid response following the incident enabled us to act swiftly and we are grateful for their continued co-operation in our investigation, which is ongoing.

“The NCA leads the UK's response to cybercrime. We work closely with partners to protect the public by ensuring cybercriminals cannot operate with impunity, whether that's by bringing them to justice or through other disruptive and preventative measures.”

TfL gave its customers an update on Thursday: “While our customers have experienced very little impact so far, the situation is evolving and our investigations have shown that certain customer data has been accessed. This includes some customer names and contact details, including email addresses and home addresses where provided. “Some Oyster card refund data may also have been accessed. This could include bank account numbers and sort codes for a limited number of customers (around 5,000). “If you have been affected, as a precautionary measure we will contact you directly as soon as possible and offer you support and advice.”

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