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Scrape Timestamp (UTC): 2025-03-24 18:28:48.823
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Cyberattack takes down Ukrainian state railway’s online services. Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine’s national railway operator, has been hit by a massive cyberattack that disrupted online services for buying tickets both through mobile apps and the website. The incident forced people to booths to buy physical tickets, causing overcrowding, delays, long waiting times, and frustration. With trains being the only reliable and relatively safe means for people to travel within Ukraine and internationally, the cyberattack is having a significant impact, Daryna Antoniuk reports. The disruption started yesterday, as Ukrzaliznytsia confirmed in an official statement on multiple communication channels, apologizing for the inconvenience. The organization has increased staff at the points of sale to accommodate the sudden increase in servicing needs, but queues remain long. Members of the military were given the possibility to purchase tickets on board by the train conductor so the situation wouldn’t impact their movement. Also, civilians who purchased their tickets online prior to the cyberattack, but are now unable to download them, are advised to use the PDF copy sent to their email or show up at the train station 20 minutes before departure and explain their situation to the officials. Those traveling tomorrow are requested not to crowd ticket offices today, as the staff is working hard to accommodate passengers traveling today. Despite difficulties with the online ticket-selling platform, Ukrzaliznytsia noted in its announcement that traveling operations weren’t impacted by the cyberattack. The organization underlined how multiple cyberattacks suffered over the past few years have reinforced its response protocols and resilience. “The key objective of the enemy failed: train traffic remains stable, running on schedule without delays, and all operational processes have been switched to backup mode,” reads the latest update from Ukrzaliznytsia. “The railway continues to operate despite physical attacks on infrastructure, and even the most devious cyberattacks cannot stop it. “As Ukrzaliznytsia has previously been a target of enemy cyberattacks, backup protocols have been implemented within the company.” The organization called the attack “highly systematic and multi-layered,” and assured that it’s working with experts from the SBU Cyber Department and the Government Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-UA) to close any security gaps and bring impacted systems back online. However, no specific timelines for recovery were provided at this time. Top 10 MITRE ATT&CK© Techniques Behind 93% of Attacks Based on an analysis of 14M malicious actions, discover the top 10 MITRE ATT&CK techniques behind 93% of attacks and how to defend against them.
Daily Brief Summary
Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine's national railway operator, was struck by a significant cyberattack, disrupting online ticket services.
The attack caused the website and mobile apps to malfunction, forcing passengers to purchase tickets at physical locations, resulting in overcrowded stations and extended waiting times.
The railway's operational activities, including train schedules and traffic, remained unaffected thanks to the implementation of backup protocols previously established in response to past attacks.
Military personnel were allowed to buy tickets directly on trains to prevent any disruption in their movements, while civilians were advised to use previously emailed PDF copies of their tickets.
Despite the online platform issues, train operations continued without delays, demonstrating resilience against the strategic cyberattack.
Ukrzaliznytsia is collaborating with the SBU Cyber Department and CERT-UA to address security vulnerabilities and restore full functionality, though no specific recovery timeline has been provided.
The cyberattack was described as "highly systematic and multi-layered," highlighting the complexity and possibly the involvement of a nation-state actor.