The impacts of a cyber attack on Transport for London (TfL) which hacked the details of around 5,000 customers could soon be resolved, Sadiq Khan has suggested.
The mayor said TfL was “working incredibly hard around the clock” to fully restore its operations, and that there is “light at the end of the tunnel” for Londoners affected by the issue.
Last month, a 17-year-old boy was arrested over the hack, which accessed customer names, emails, home addresses and potentially Oyster refund data, including bank account numbers and sort codes.
TfL’s response to the attack has seen online Oyster photocard applications suspended and the roll-out of contactless ticketing to 47 stations outside Greater London delayed “to a later date”. TfL is also unable to issue refunds for incomplete pay-as-you-go journeys made using contactless.
Asked for an update on the situation, Mr Khan told the Standard: “I’ve got to be careful about what I can share, but I can share that the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSS) are working closely with TfL.
“The fact that, actually, the inconvenience Londoners have suffered has not been as bad as it could have been, shows the excellent work of TfL working with partners. But it’s still causing inconvenience to Londoners, including young Londoners going about their business and trying to use their Zip card.”
Zip cards, used by young people aged 11-17, entitle the holder to free bus and tram travel and half-price Tube and rail fares. The cards would normally have expired on September 30, requiring renewal, but TfL suspended online applications for new cards as part of its response to the cyber-attack.
One college principal warned it could leave some pupils at risk of dropping out of their studies, due to their inability to pay the full cost of Tube and bus fares.
TfL has however extended the renewal deadline until October 31 and has advised children and students to continue using their existing Zip cards, even once they expire.
Other types of Oyster photocard, such as the 60+ Oyster, are also still unavailable for online applications.
The mayor said: “TfL are working incredibly hard around the clock. I speak to the commissioner [of TfL, Andy Lord] on a daily basis - I mean, he’s working seven days a week, with experts, to try and avoid the consequences of the cyber-attack being even worse.
“We do think there’s light at the end of the tunnel, and I’d ask Londoners to bear with TfL, the NCA, the NCSC, as they carry on trying to withstand the attempts of these criminals to cause extreme damage to TfL.”
