LNER have released a statement and answered passenger questions on whether banks need to be contacted or if future journeys are impacted
Train operator LNER said passengers’ contact details and some information about past journeys have been accessed in a cyber attack. The Government-owned organisation, which runs services on the East Coast Main Line between London and Scotland, said in a statement it was “made aware of unauthorised access to files managed by a third-party supplier”.
A LNER spokesperson said: “We have been made aware of unauthorised access to files managed by a third-party supplier, which involves customer contact details and some information about previous journeys. Importantly, no bank, payment card or password information has been affected.
“We are treating this matter with the highest priority and are working closely with experts and with the supplier to understand what has happened and to make sure appropriate safeguards are in place. We will provide further updates as more information becomes available.”
Transport for London (TfL) suffered a major cyber attack in September last year, which involved the bank account numbers and sort codes of around 5,000 customers being accessed. The hack resulted in TfL restricting its online services for several weeks. Passengers were prevented from viewing some live travel information and viewing their journey history for trips paid for by contactless cards.
What should LNER passengers do? Are new journeys impacted?
A LNER spokesperson has urged customers to “be cautious of unsolicited communications, especially those asking for personal information. If in doubt, do not respond”. The data hack will not impact any LNER passenger buying tickets or travelling with a spokesperson stating: “Our ticket sales and train operations are entirely unaffected.” Anyone with further questions for LNER should email [email protected]
Do I need to inform my bank or change password?
LNER is advising that customers do not need to contact their bank over this issue. A spokesperson added: “The third-party supplier involved does not have access to bank or payment card information.”
They added that password data has not been hacked but said: “The third-party supplier involved does not have access to password data. It is always good practice to maintain a secure password and to change passwords regularly.”
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