British Police Investigate Islamophobic Cyberattack on Railway Wi-Fi

British authorities have launched an investigation into a cyberattack that displayed Islamophobic messages on Wi-Fi networks at major railway stations. Managed by Telent, the Wi-Fi was quickly taken offline. The incident heightened tensions in Britain, already strained by anti-Muslim riots. No personal data was compromised.

British police announced on Thursday that they have initiated an investigation into a cyberattack after passengers at major railway stations encountered Islamophobic messages while trying to use Wi-Fi services. The Wi-Fi network, managed by communications group Telent, was swiftly disabled following passenger complaints about the offensive message.

"We received reports at around 5:03 p.m. (1603 GMT) yesterday (Sept. 25) of a cyberattack displaying Islamophobic messaging on some Network Rail Wi-Fi services," British Transport Police reported. The country has seen heightened tensions over recent months due to anti-Muslim riots, triggered by the false attribution of a violent incident to an Islamist migrant.

Authorities are collaborating with Network Rail to swiftly investigate the cybersecurity breach. Network Rail, responsible for managing train tracks and stations, confirmed that Wi-Fi services at 19 stations, including London Bridge, London Euston, Manchester Piccadilly, and Edinburgh Waverley, remain offline. They assured that no personal data appears to have been compromised and expect services to be restored by the weekend after final security checks.

Telent has yet to respond to requests for comments on the incident.

(With inputs from agencies.)