Two men have pleaded guilty to offenses linked to a major cyberattack on Transport for London (TfL), a government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, that caused months of disruption and cost the organization £39 million.
Thalha Jubair, 20, from east London, and Owen Flowers, 18, from Walsall, admitted conspiring to commit unauthorized acts against TfL under the Computer Misuse Act. The pair changed their pleas on the opening day of what was expected to be a six-week trial.
The cyberattack, which began on 31 August 2024, disrupted TfL services for around three months and affected an estimated 10 million customers. Online services were impacted, information boards went offline, and customer refund systems experienced significant delays.
The perpetrators accessed personal information, including data from TfL’s Oyster refunds system. The attack also forced the suspension of applications for Oyster photocards used by children and young people.
Flowers additionally pleaded guilty to attempting to hack computer systems belonging to US healthcare providers Sutter Health and SSM Healthcare Corporation.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) said both men were arrested in September 2024 as part of a joint investigation with the City of London Police. Officers seized multiple electronic devices, including laptops and hard drives. Recovered evidence included a screenshot showing access to TfL infrastructure and videos allegedly showing Jubair accessing TfL systems during the attack.
Authorities believe the intrusion was linked to the cybercriminal group known as Scattered Spider. Sentencing is expected at a later date.