Two young men from East London and Walsall have admitted hacking Transport for London’s (TfL) computer network in a cyber attack that cost the organisation £29 million and caused severe disruption to thousands of customers.
The attack occurred between 31 August and 3 September 2024 and was investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and City of London Police (COLP).
Thalha Jubair, 20, and Owen Flowers, 18, infiltrated TfL’s network, forcing 28,000 employees to reset passwords at an office. The cyber attack affected TfL’s Oyster refunds system, delaying refunds and suspending the application process for children’s and young people’s Oyster photocards.
Flowers was arrested on 6 September 2024, with devices seized that showed links to TfL’s infrastructure and access to a database of breached credentials. Footage was found of Jubair accessing the network during the attack. Both men were arrested on 16 September 2024 and linked to the online criminal group Scattered Spider.
The case was initially scheduled for trial at Woolwich Crown Court on 22 June 2025, but both men pleaded guilty on the first day. They are awaiting sentencing on 16 July 2025.
Paul Foster, Deputy Director of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit, said: “This has been a lengthy, highly complex and painstaking investigation. The attack caused millions of pounds in losses and major disruption to the public. We urge organisations to report incidents early to aid investigations.”
Deputy Commissioner Nik Adams of City of London Police added: “Cyber criminals targeting critical infrastructure cause real harm. This result shows the strength of our partnership with the NCA in protecting the UK.”
The investigation was supported by the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit and British Transport Police. Victims of cybercrime are advised to use the government’s Cyber Choices programme and reporting guidance.
Originally published by UKNIP.
