Breaking News: Cyber-Attackers Sentenced
Two men, Owen Flowers, 18, from Walsall, and Thalha Jubair, 20, from east London, have been sentenced to five years and six months in prison for a cyber-attack that disrupted Transport For London (TfL). They pleaded guilty in June to the attack, which occurred in August 2024.
The attack affected TfL’s online services for months, compromised the personal data of millions, and required all 27,000 employees to reset their passwords in person. The men were part of a cyber crime group known as Scattered Spider.
During the 16-hour attack, they streamed their actions online. Evidence showed they accessed TfL’s database, searching for personal details of London celebrities. They also attempted to access banking information.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has identified young hackers as a significant threat to the UK’s cyber security. Flowers and Jubair were arrested after their activities were traced back to Telegram messages boasting about their access to TfL’s systems.
Scattered Spider has been linked to multiple cyber-attacks, including those on retailers Marks and Spencer and the Co-op.
