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Public Wi-Fi Compromise at Major UK Train Hubs

The British police announced on Thursday that they had initiated an investigation into a cyberattack after passengers at major railway stations across the country saw an Islamophobic message when attempting to access Wi-Fi services.


The Wi-Fi network, managed by the communication firm Telent, demonstrated its commitment to security by swiftly deactivating it after passengers reported receiving messages about terrorist attacks.


"We received reports around 17:03 (16:03 GMT) yesterday (September 25) regarding a cyberattack displaying Islamophobic content on some Network Rail Wi-Fi services," the British Transport Police stated.


The situation in Britain escalated over the summer amid anti-Muslim unrest, which was fueled by misinformation that wrongly blamed a migrant Islamist for the killing of three young girls.

The police stated that they are closely collaborating with Network Rail on a 'rapid' investigation into the Islamophobic cybersecurity incident, ensuring a thorough and efficient process.

Network Rail, which oversees rail tracks and stations, said Wi-Fi services remained offline on Thursday at 19 stations, including London Bridge, London Euston, Manchester Piccadilly, and Edinburgh Waverley.


In a statement, Telent clarified that no personal data was compromised and noted that the case is now in police hands.


It added that unauthorized modifications were made to the Network Rail landing page provided by Global Reach using a legitimate administrator account.


"As a precaution, Telent has temporarily suspended all use of Global Reach services, ensuring that no other Telent clients have been affected," the company added.


Network Rail expects to restore Wi-Fi services over the weekend following final security checks, including a thorough review of the network and implementing additional security measures.


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