Ukraine Railway Systems Attacked By Russian Hackers
Online train tickets have been unavailable in Ukraine due to a sophisticated cyber hack, which the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice says Russia is behind this attack. Ukraine’s national railway company Ukrzaliznytsia, confirmed in a statement that the cyber attack had taken place on March 24.
The company said this attack was “very systematic, complex, and multi-level”. It took down its online portal, rendering the sale of tickets online impossible at least until March 25. So far, back-up protocols are keeping trains running
Ukrzaliznytsia’s infrastructure is frequently targeted by Russian drones and missiles and cyber attacks.
Following the latest attack, the rail company doubled the number of ticket windows and staff at several stations, including Kyiv, to accommodate passengers. Users were advised to purchase domestic and international paper tickets through those ticket offices operating with more staff. Passengers aiming to travel after March 25th have been advised to refrain from visiting ticket offices to avoid queues and to allow those with imminent departures to be served.
Ukrzaliznytsia stated that its experts are working closely with the Cyber Department of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Ukrainian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-UA) to restore all disrupted services. “As Ukrzaliznytsia has been the target of cyber-attacks in the past, the company has implemented backup protocols,” the company added.
“The key thing is that the enemy was not able to disrupt the train schedule: trains are running stably, on schedule, and without delays, and all operational processes have been adjusted to a backup mode. The railway continues to operate despite physical attacks on infrastructure and will not be stopped by even the most malicious cyber-attacks.”
A complete restoration of user-facing online services will only be possible once the railway company and its partners have tested services for potential vulnerabilities.
With many Ukrainian airports shut down and air traffic suspended due to the Russian invasion, Ukraine's railways remain a vital lifeline for the country's economy.
Kyiv Indepndent | Pravda | Railtech | Bleeping Computer | Infosecurity Magazine | The Record
Image: @Ukrzaliznytsia
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