Scottish train stations hit by cyber-attack

Two of Scotland’s main train stations have been hit by a UK-wide cyber-attack.

Yesterday evening, Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central were impacted by a cyber incident in which passengers were warned about terror attacks.

The cyber-attack affected the public Wi-Fi network at 19 train stations across the UK and passengers were met with a screen about terror attacks in Europe when trying to log into the system.

Manchester Piccadilly, Birmingham New Street and 11 stations in London are also among the stations affected by the incident.

Network Rail, which manages the stations, has confirmed the service has now been suspended and that there is an investigation underway.

The rail firm claimed that other organisations using the same third-party Wi-Fi provider Telent have also been impacted by the incident.

It is understood British Transport Police is also investigating the incident.

A Network Rail spokesperson told Holyrood: "Last night the public wifi at 19 of Network Rail's managed stations was subjected to a cyber security incident and was quickly taken off-line. The incident is subject to a full investigation.

"The wifi is provided by a third party, is self-contained and is a simple 'click & connect' service that doesn’t collect any personal data. Once our final security checks have been completed we anticipate the service will be restored by the weekend."

Russell Crowley, chief executive of Principle Networks, a network services provider, has urged organisations to adopt zero trust policies to tackle the growing threat of cyber-crime.  

He told Holyrood: "Today’s network architectures have never been so complex, spanning geographic regions and incorporating a combination of private and public wi-fi. Whilst this has enhanced connectivity in even the most remote locations, it has also increased the risk of cyberattacks due to a wider threat surface.

"Robust security solutions and strategies like zero trust must underscore network management to deter cybercriminals from identifying and exploiting weaknesses across the IT infrastructure."