Teenagers Charged Over TfL Cyber Attack
Two teenagers have been charged over a major cyber attack on Transport for London that investigators say caused millions in damages and weeks of disruption. Thalha Jubair, 19, from east London, and Owen Flowers, 18, from Walsall, were arrested on Tuesday and will appear in court on Thursday, accused of conspiring to commit unauthorised acts against TfL under the Computer Misuse Act.
The hack, which hit on 31st August 2024, exposed customer data like names, contact details, and even bank account numbers. Though transport services weren’t halted, TfL had to shut down several systems, including traffic cameras and “dial-a-ride” bookings. Authorities believe the pair were working with the cyber-criminal group Scattered Spider, which has been linked to other high-profile attacks on UK retailers such as M&S, Co-op, and Harrods.
Flowers is also accused of trying to infiltrate US healthcare networks, while Jubair faces an additional charge for refusing to provide passwords to investigators. Deputy Director Paul Foster of the NCA called the charges “a key step” in a complex investigation and warned of the rising threat from English-speaking cyber gangs.
