Luas Light Rail System Hacked In Dublin, Results in Bitcoin Ransom

Most of the hackers that pop up in the crypto industry involve hacking investors’ computer to directly steal Bitcoin. However, a recent hacking in Dublin has taken a slightly different turn. In a breaking report from the local publication Irish Examiner, it seems that the Luas light rail system has been compromised by hackers that have taken over the website.

Upon being hacked, the now-offline website has a message that the hackers used to express what they want to get out of this attempt – a single Bitcoin. According to CoinMarketCap, Bitcoin is presently trading at $3845.58.

The hackers are giving Luas five days to pay out, or they are threatening to release the data that they have collected. In the message, which has been edited to clarify it, the hackers say,

“You are hacked. Some time ago, I wrote that you have serious security holes you did not reply. The next time someone talks to you, press the reply button. You must pay 1 bitcoin in 5 days otherwise I will publish all data and send emails to your users.”

The message includes an address for the system to send out the Bitcoin.

At this point, it is not clear about the information that the hackers have managed to collect, since the website is not very interactive for users. However, the website that is meant for payments of fare violations for Luas has not been hacked at all, even though it would be much more sensitive information.

To make users aware of what is going on, Luas posted to Twitter, saying,

“Due to an ongoing issue, please do not click onto the Luas website. We currently have technicians working on the issue. We will be using this forum only for travel updates should the need arise. For any queries, please contact our customer care number on 1850 300 604.”

The hacking of the tram system in Dublin is only a few days after a hacking group called TheDarkOverload said that they had stolen information about the 9/11 attacks in New York City. They also threatened to release the information without payment of Bitcoin. According to the hackers, they managed to collect the information from some of the insurers of the World Trade Center, which was one of the targets.

As a result of the hacking, Irish Examiner also states that the company that the company that runs Luas has been compromised as well. Apparently, the 3,226 people on the newsletter for Luas may also have been part of the hacking, which means that the individuals pulling this off have access their personal details. However, there does not appear to be financial information at risk.

Presently, the website is still offline, and anyone impacted should be notified through Luas within the next 24 hours. So far, the company is working to determine how the attack was able to take place to start, and the technicians will hopefully restore services shortly.

In a recent update, it looks like the cybersecurity firm inspecting this attack believes that the attack is far from the only problem that 2019 will face for them. In fact, they believe that the demand for Bitcoin to be paid out could be just the “first of many” that happens this year.

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