Major UK transport company Go-Ahead battles cyberattack

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06.09.2022 - 11:35

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theguardian.com:

Go-Ahead, one of the UK’s biggest transport companies, has said it is managing an ongoing cyberattack that has affected software used to schedule bus drivers and services.

The company, an important provider of UK bus services and London’s biggest operator, said it became aware of a fault on its server late on Sunday and was working hard to keep buses running without disruption.

The issues became more widespread on Monday, affecting several back office systems, including bus services and payroll software.

Go-Ahead said it was working with IBM to activate backup systems to ensure its bus services can keep running. The cyberattack does not affect its rail business, which runs on separate systems and is operating normally in the UK and abroad.

A spokesperson said: “We’re doing everything possible to ensure services continue without interruption but if services are affected we’ll inform our customers using social media.”

Go-Ahead runs Great Northern, Thameslink, Gatwick Express and Southern rail and also operates rail services in Norway and Germany. It runs nearly a quarter of London’s buses as well as bus services in southern and eastern England, and also has bus contracts in Singapore, Sweden and Ireland.

The company has informed regulators of the attack, including the Information Commissioner’s Office in the UK.

In June, Go-Ahead accepted a £650m takeover offer from a consortium of the Australian bus operator Kinetic and the infrastructure specialist Globalvia. It is the latest British transport company to become a takeover target, along with Stagecoach and FirstGroup. The deal is expected to be completed in October if shareholders accept the terms.

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