British authorities recently announced the arrest of a 17-year-old male in connection with a cyber attack on Transport for London (TfL).
“The 17-year-old male was detained on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act offenses in relation to the attack, which was launched on TfL on 1 September,” the U.K. National Crime Agency (NCA) stated.
The teenager, from Walsall, was arrested on September 5, 2024, following an investigation initiated after the incident.
“Attacks on public infrastructure such as this can be hugely disruptive and lead to severe consequences for local communities and national systems,” said Deputy Director Paul Foster, head of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit.
“The swift response by TfL following the incident has enabled us to act quickly, and we are grateful for their continued cooperation with our investigation, which remains ongoing.”
TfL confirmed that the security breach resulted in unauthorized access to bank account numbers and sort codes for approximately 5,000 customers, and they will be directly contacting those affected.
“Although there has been very little impact on our customers so far, the situation is evolving and our investigations have identified that certain customer data has been accessed,” TfL noted.
“This includes some customer names and contact details, including email addresses and home addresses where provided.”
Additionally, TfL is requiring around 30,000 staff members to complete an IT identity check by attending an appointment at a designated TfL location to reset their passwords and be verified in person for access to TfL applications and data.
It’s important to mention that West Midlands police previously arrested a 17-year-old boy, also from Walsall, in July 2024, in connection with a ransomware attack on MGM Resorts attributed to the notorious Scattered Spider group.
It remains unclear if the two cases involve the same individual. In June, another 22-year-old U.K. national was arrested in Spain for alleged involvement in several ransomware attacks linked to Scattered Spider.
The law enforcement agency reported that the unnamed individual was questioned and subsequently released on bail.
