A man has been charged over a ‘cyber attack’ which shut down public wi-fi at some of Britain’s biggest railway stations.
Around 20 railway stations were targeted during the incident which happened just after 5pm on September 25 last year.
British Transport Police received reports the landing page of the public wi-fi of several railway stations was replaced with an ‘Islamophobic’ message.
The web page said ‘We love you, Europe’ and contained information about terror attacks.
BTP said no personal data is known to have been affected.
Manchester Piccadilly, Birmingham New Street, Glasgow Central, Liverpool Lime Street and ten stations in London were among the hubs affected.
The force launched an urgent investigation and later that day arrested a man at his home, it said in a statement.
John Andreas Wik, 36, has now been charged with publishing or distributing written material intending to stir up religious hatred.
Passengers look at their phones next to a wifi poster at London Bridge station
A British Transport Police van outside of King’s Cross station this morning after a cyber attack
London Waterloo station, pictured today, was also impacted by the cyber attack on wi-fi
The 36-year-old of Limes Road in Beckenham, Bromley will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on April 11.
The terrifying hack targeted Wi-fi at stations controlled by a third-party provider called Telent.
The ten London stations affected were Cannon Street, Charing Cross, Clapham Junction, Euston, King’s Cross, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Paddington, Victoria and Waterloo.
Network Rail manages 20 stations across the network, with London St Pancras the only one that was not affected by the attack.
The statement from British Transport Police said: ‘A man from Bromley will appear at court charged in connection to a cyber security incident last September, following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.
‘At around 4pm on 25 September 2024, BTP received various reports of a cyber security incident affecting some Network Rail Wi-Fi services provided by a third party that had begun to display imagery intended to incite religious hatred.
‘Urgent enquiries were made, and a man was identified and later arrested at his home address.
‘John Andreas Wik, 36, and of Limes Road in Beckenham, has been charged with publishing or distributing written material intending to stir up religious hatred and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 11 April.’
The incident was compared to the BBC’s drama Nightsleeper, which features a sleeper train travelling from Glasgow to London which is hacked and hijacked.
The cyber attack was compared to the BBC’s drama Nightsleeper, starring Joe Cole
Previously speaking to MailOnline, security experts said the attack was a ‘stark reminder that public wi-fi can be a playground for cyber criminals’, adding that ‘unsecured public networks in busy areas are easy pickings for hackers’.
Adrianus Warmenhoven, cybersecurity expert at NordVPN, said it ‘highlights the need for heightened vigilance when using these services, which can be more vulnerable to cyber attacks’.
He also said it should act as a ‘wake-up call for everyone to be more mindful of the risks associated with unsecured public networks’.
Experts advise people using public wi-fi to avoid using sensitive accounts such as online banking or shopping websites that require personal information.
According to its website, Telent helps design, build, support and manage some of the UK’s ‘critical digital infrastructure’, and its other customers include Openreach, Transport for London (TfL), National Highways, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the NHS.
