LNER warns customers to remain vigilant after personal data exposed in cyber attack
The train operator said ticket sales and train operations are unaffected, but that customers should be on the lookout for phishing attempts
LNER has warned customers to remain vigilant for social engineering attacks after a cyber attack on the rail operator exposed personal data.
In an advisory, the company said it detected unauthorized access to files managed by an unnamed third-party supplier.
Data compromised in the attack includes customer contact details and information about previous journeys. The company added that no bank details, payment card, or password information was exposed.
"We are treating this matter with the highest priority and are working closely with experts and with the supplier to understand what has happened and to make sure appropriate safeguards are in place," LNER said.
Ticket sales and operations were entirely unaffected by the incident, according to LNER, but it has warned customers to be cautious of unsolicited communications, especially those asking for personal information.
"The data exposed in the LNER breach, while not of critical security context, can still be used to generate compelling phishing documents and other attacks against a user's identity,” commented Michael Tigges, senior security operations analyst at Huntress.
“Third-party vendor compromise is on the rise this year, with significant breaches, such as those involving SalesLoft and Drift, having cascading security implications,” Tigges added.
"Incidents such as these are a stark reminder that while the primary organization may protect our data, third parties around the world constantly handle data and personal information in the regular course of their business."
LNER the latest transport firm impacted
The transport sector can be an attractive target for hackers. This time last year, for example, Transport for London (TfL) fell victim to an attack which saw the bank account numbers and sort codes of around 5,000 customers accessed.
TfL was forced to restrict its online services for several weeks, with passengers unable to view live travel information or see their journey history for trips paid for by contactless cards.
Meanwhile, the aviation sector has been heavily targeted by hackers believed to belong to the Scattered Spider group, with attacks on Qantas, Hawaiian, WestJet, Air France-KLM, and Aeroflot.
In June, the FBI warned that the group was impersonating employees or contractors at transport firms to deceive IT help desks into granting access, often bypassing multi-factor authentication (MFA).
William Wright, CEO of Closed Door Security, said details on how the attack was carried out remain limited.
"Information relating to this breach is vague, so it's hard to say exactly how this attack was executed,” he said.
“We know it occurred on a supplier to LNER, but we don't know if it was an insider breach, where an employee at the supplier gained access to LNER data, or if the data was accessed by a threat actor that exploited the supplier to access to its systems,” Wright added.
"If it does turn out to be the latter, then the incident could be related to the recent attacks on Salesforce, which have been affecting organisations globally."
Make sure to follow ITPro on Google News to keep tabs on all our latest news, analysis, and reviews.
MORE FROM ITPRO
-
Will autonomous robotics leap forward in 2026?In-depth Connectivity and cost benefits remain barriers, despite breakthroughs in physical AI
-
AWS and NTT Data team up to drive legacy IT modernization in EuropeNews Partnership between AWS and NTT DATA aims to boost AWS European Sovereign Cloud capabilities
-
90% of companies are woefully unprepared for quantum security threats – analysts say they need to get a move onNews Quantum security threats are coming, but a Bain & Company survey shows systems aren't yet in place to prevent widespread chaos
-
LastPass issues alert as customers targeted in new phishing campaignNews LastPass has urged customers to be on the alert for phishing emails amidst an ongoing scam campaign that encourages users to backup vaults.
-
NCSC names and shames pro-Russia hacktivist group amid escalating DDoS attacks on UK public servicesNews Russia-linked hacktivists are increasingly trying to cause chaos for UK organizations
-
An AWS CodeBuild vulnerability could’ve caused supply chain chaos – luckily a fix was applied before disaster struckNews A single misconfiguration could have allowed attackers to inject malicious code to launch a platform-wide compromise
-
There’s a dangerous new ransomware variant on the block – and cyber experts warn it’s flying under the radarNews The new DeadLock ransomware family is taking off in the wild, researchers warn
-
Supply chain and AI security in the spotlight for cyber leaders in 2026News Organizations are sharpening their focus on supply chain security and shoring up AI systems
-
Veeam patches Backup & Replication vulnerabilities, urges users to updateNews The vulnerabilities affect Veeam Backup & Replication 13.0.1.180 and all earlier version 13 builds – but not previous versions.
-
NHS supplier DXS International confirms cyber attack – here’s what we know so farNews The NHS supplier says front-line clinical services are unaffected
