The ransomware attack disrupted public transportation in Toronto and disabled several systems used by both drivers and passengers. The Toronto Transit Commission, the operator of the public transit system, says the attack was discovered last week by an IT officer who noticed “unusual network activity.”
“The impact was minimal until this afternoon (Friday, October 29), when the hackers expanded their attacks on network servers,” the agency said in a press release.
As a result, the incident affected the internal systems of the Toronto Transportation Commission, including an internal mail server and TTC Vision, a video communication system with drivers. Until the problem is resolved, the classic radio communication system is used instead.
In addition to the server systems, the incident also affected the servers that serve the customers. For example, Wheel-Trans, a vehicle booking portal for people with disabilities, is still unavailable. In addition, the attack affected the operation of screens at the stations, where information about public transport was displayed in real-time, as well as the operation of the application and website for travel planning.
Fortunately, despite the attack, there was no disruption to public transport. The buses, trams and metro trains continued to operate as usual, officials said.
So far, no extortionist group has claimed responsibility for the incident. It is also not yet known what ransom the hackers demanded from the Toronto Transport Commission.
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