UK rail network frequently targetted by cyber crime, says security company

Britain’s rail network was hit by four known serious cyber attacks within the past year, says a security firm employed by the network.

British cyber startup Darktrace discovered the attacks. The company has been assigned to defend a large part of the UK railway network.

The cyber criminals looked to be snooping around the network’s computer systems, although they didn’t attempt to cause any trouble.

Kaspersky security researcher Sergey Gordeychik was speaking to The Telegraph when he said that cyber criminals could do a lot of damage if they were able to access the railway network.

He explained that research had shown how access to the network could enable them to change how the trains behave around the world.

He said:

“They could change the points when a train passes over it. Trains could go off the rails, and this could cause a crash.

“At the moment, drivers know not to go on busy lines because traffic lights direct them, but if somebody can change this behaviour and make the lights green, trains can collide. That would cause mayhem.”

The railway network is an obvious target for cyber criminals looking to cause as much damage as possible. However, they are not the only targets, with companies in a range of sectors being hit by attack after attack in recent years. TalkTalk is the obvious example in the UK, but SMEs have also been victims, and they need to be securing their data as much as they can. They should be looking more at their IT security recruitment activities if they wish to ensure that their data remains secure.