Teens who hacked TfL were known to police years before cyber-attack
Summary
Two young men, Owen Flowers and Thalha Jubair, pleaded guilty to a cyber-attack that disrupted Transport for London (TfL) services in 2024. Both had prior records of cyber-crime and were known to police before the attack, which exposed millions of people’s personal data and caused long service delays.Key Facts
- Owen Flowers (18) and Thalha Jubair (20) admitted to hacking TfL, causing months of disruption.
- The attack affected personal data of millions and forced 28,000 TfL staff to reset passwords in person.
- Both had histories of cyber-crime and were previously known to law enforcement.
- Flowers was first noticed by police at age 16 and was given a cease and desist order, but no further intervention.
- They were part of a cyber-crime group called Scattered Spider, linked to attacks on major UK retailers.
- Police want stronger powers to stop high-risk cyber-criminals earlier, including new legal orders called Cyber Crime Risk Orders (CCROs).
- During his arrest, Flowers had numerous electronic devices and cryptocurrency worth millions of pounds.
- Investigation also linked Flowers to hacks on two US health organizations; he now faces charges in the US as well.
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