UNITED KINGDOM: Two Teen Hackers Jailed After Livestreamed Cyber Attack on Transport for London
Two young members of a criminal hacking group have been jailed after livestreaming a cyber attack on Transport for London that forced the network to “pull the plug” on its own systems.
Thalha Jubair, 20, and Owen Flowers, 18, carried out what prosecutors called an “extremely serious hack” on TfL’s online network between 31 August and 3 September 2024. The attack could have caused “catastrophic damage”.
During the multi-day intrusion, all of TfL’s 27,000+ staff had to go to an office in person to reset their passwords. The hackers eventually gained “the highest privileged access” in the system, described in court as “the keys to the kingdom”.
The court heard they could have “shut out and shut down TfL completely”.
Prosecutor Mark Fenhalls KC said: “These two young men are highly skilled with computers and capable of wreaking havoc and wholly indifferent to the consequences for the public and the potential suffering and costs to others.”
The attack also accessed Oyster refund data, delayed contactless payments, and shut down applications for children’s and young people’s Oyster photocards.