A ransomware attack has caused hundreds of self-service ticketing machines across the UK to go offline. The machines are located in the northern region of the country. Travellers have been encouraged to use mobile ticketing services while the machines are down. The attack comes just two months after roughly 600 machines were installed at hundreds of stations across the region by Northern rail company. Northern stated that they experienced technical difficulties with the machines that prompted them to be taken offline, rendering them unusable. Northern also confirmed that they are still investigating the situation, however, evidence points towards a ransomware cyberattack.
Northern is run by the English government. It remains unclear how the machines’ networks were compromised, however, Northern stated that it is taking swift action to restore the systems and clarify the cause of the attacks. Northern’s supplier, Flowbird, stated that the incident has only affected servers that operate the ticketing machines. The issue was allegedly first identified through a cyber monitoring system.
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