Man arrested over rail terror message hack

Nineteen railway stations were affected by a cyber-attack, Network Rail said

A man has been arrested on suspicion of computer misuse offences after railway stations across the UK suffered a cyber attack.

Public wi-fi services were suspended at 19 railway stations managed by Network Rail on Wednesday after messages about past terrorism attacks appeared on people's devices.

British Transport Police (BTP) said the man held is an employee of Global Reach Technologies, which provides internet access to some Network Rail stations.

The force said the man has been arrested on suspicion of computer misuse act offences and malicious communications.

The network is run by a third party, Telent, with the actual internet service provided by Global Reach.

Commuters noticed unusual activity after connecting to the service at stations around the UK.

The BBC has seen screenshots posted to social media after some passengers reported being directed to content listing terrorist attacks in Europe.

It is understood that no other rail systems or data have been breached.

Network Rail said it acted quickly to suspend public wi-fi services while the suspicious content was being investigated.

The station operator and and its suppliers said they were confident that w-fi services would be restored by the weekend.

Chris Dyson, 53, from Leeds, saw an unusual message on Wednesday afternoon when he connected his device to the wi-fi at Birmingham New Street.

It gave details of Islamist-related terror attacks in the UK and Europe, alongside pictures taken from news reports about the incidents.

"The screen lit up with bizarre security alerts and dodgy pop-ups," he told the BBC.

"I started to panic slightly—what if this was a sign of something more sinister?"

The affected stations included:

• In London, London Cannon Street, London Bridge, Charing Cross, Clapham Junction, Euston, King’s Cross, Liverpool Street, Paddington, Victoria and Waterloo

• In the South East, Reading and Guildford

• In the North West, Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street

• In the West Midlands, Birmingham New Street

• In West Yorkshire, Leeds

• In the West and South West, Bristol Temple Meads

• In Scotland, Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central

Network Rail said it believed other organisations, not just railway stations, had been affected.

"This service is provided via a third party and has been suspended while an investigation is under way," the spokesperson said.