Image by Colin, from Wikimedia Commons
Cyber Attack Disrupts Wi-Fi At 20 Major UK Railway Stations
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!
- A cyber attack impacted 20 major railway stations across the UK.
- The attack targeted public Wi-Fi, displaying messages about terror attacks.
- The British Transport Police is investigating.
A cyber attack has affected 20 major railway stations in the UK, as reported today by the BBC . The attack targeted the public Wi-Fi systems at these stations, displaying a message claiming “We love you, Europe” and listing information about terror attacks.
The BBC reported that Network Rail confirmed Wi-Fi systems at stations including London Euston, Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool Lime Street, Birmingham New Street, Edinburgh Waverley, and Glasgow Central were impacted.
A Network Rail spokesperson confirmed the Wi-Fi was still down, stating, “We are currently dealing with a cyber security incident affecting the public Wi-Fi at Network Rail’s managed stations,” as reported by the BBC.
The BBC noted that the British Transport Police is investigating and reported that other organizations, beyond just rail stations, have also been affected.
The affected stations include:
In 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.
Alex Richards, director of Liberate IT Services, was among the cybersecurity experts commenting on the attack today, stated,
“Public wi-fi is always isolated and firewalled from any other network, so there will be no risk to data held or processed by Network Rail themselves. Public wi-fi is the easiest target due to its accessibility, and the most visible when tampered with.
The only potential danger is that anyone else using the public wi-fi at the time could have had their data snooped. This is where information being sent from or to your device on the public wi-fi is inspected and listened to.
This is why it is important to only use encrypted services on public wi-fi, or a VPN service using encryption. Better yet, stay clear of public wi-fi and use your 4G or 5G data service,” as reported by the Daily Mail .
The incident comes after a more disruptive cyberattack targeting Transport for London (TfL), which operates the capital’s bus, subway, and suburban train networks.
TfL reported that customer names, contact information, and possibly bank account details were exposed in the breach, which is now under investigation by the National Crime Agency.
In light of these incidents, the ongoing investigations underscore the critical need for enhanced cybersecurity measures across public networks.
As authorities work to address the fallout from these attacks, travelers are urged to remain vigilant and prioritize their online safety.
The ramifications of such cyber threats highlight the importance of protecting personal data and using secure connections, particularly in public spaces. Further updates will be provided as the situation develops.
Photo by Dima Solomin on Unsplash
Meta Introduces Orion, Its First Augmented Reality Smart Glasses
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!
- Orion glasses are AI-powered and can be controlled by voice, gestures, and neural signals.
- The AR glasses are not available for sale yet, the company wants to improve the device before selling it to customers
- Meta also launched the new headset Quest S3, available for sale starting at $299
The tech giant Meta introduced yesterday its first Augmented Reality (AR) glasses prototype, Orion, during the company’s annual Connect conference.
The new glasses are AI-powered and include a neural interface. Users will be able to interact with it through voice, movement, and neural signals through a wristband, but it’s not available for sale yet. Orion glasses are for internal use, and the company expects to make them “more fashionable” and “smaller” for customers interested in the new technology, according to FT .
“We’re unveiling Orion, which we believe is the most advanced pair of AR glasses ever made,” wrote the tech company in the press release . “Orion bridges the physical and virtual worlds, putting people at the center so they can be more present, connected, and empowered in the world.”
During the presentation, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, said that Orion is “a glimpse into the future” and shared more details. Zuckerberg acknowledged the technical challenges and highlighted that these new AR glasses can switch from 2D to 3D experiences, connect with people abroad through holograms, and games, and help people multitask.
Meta announced Orion: “the world’s most advanced AR glasses ever made” > Meta AI and Orion are multimodal and can understand everything you see > Comes with eye, hand, and neural tracking > Video calls turn friends into lifelike avatars next to you 🤯 pic.twitter.com/EzWHX0ZtUs — Rowan Cheung (@rowancheung) September 25, 2024
“Voice is great, but the thing is sometimes public, and you don’t want to say what you’re trying to do . . . I think that you need a device that allows you to just send a signal from your brain to the device,” Zuckerberg said to emphasize the neural interface.
Metal also launched a new version of its headset Quest, the Quest S3, available for sale starting at $299, cheaper than its previous version according to CNBC .
The race for smart glasses has begun. Snap also announced new AR glasses just a few days ago, and Google and Samsung partnered with Qualcomm to build similar devices as well.
