TTC, cyber experts continue to investigate ransomware attack

Staff from the Toronto Transit Commission, along with external cybersecurity experts, continue to investigate and troubleshoot a systemwide ransomware attack.

The TTC says the personal information of riders and employees is safe, but service is still being impacted.

Customers will have trouble planning their trips online — ‘next vehicle’ information is unavailable — but there has not been any significant service disruptions to any TTC routes.

According to the TTC, they experienced loss of their Vision system which is used to communicate with vehicle operators, forcing them to use a backup radio system. They also lost vehicle information used to update trip planning apps and Wheel-Trans bookings were unavailable. Internal email service was also affected.

#TTC staff and external cybersecurity experts continue to troubleshoot yesterday's ransomware attack.
Systems impacted by the attack are still down but we're working to safely and securely restore them.
Yesterday's statement with alt text below. pic.twitter.com/uGVFByYIKT

— TTC Media Relations ???????????????? (@TTCNewsroom) October 30, 2021

The transit agency announced it was the victim of the attack on Friday, they say systems impacted by the attack are still down, and they continue to work to restore them safely and securely.

TTC officials say they were made aware of “unusual network activity” on Thursday night and by midday Friday, the hackers “broadened their strike on network servers”

“This incident did not cause significant service disruptions and there is no risk to employee or customer safety,” the TTC said in a statement Friday night.

“The full extent of the attack is being looked into and the TTC is working with law enforcement and cybersecurity experts on this matter.”

While the TTC called it a ransomware attack, they did not say if any demands had been made.

Ransomware is a form of malicious software that attacks where a company’s data is encrypted, locking the user out.

As a result of the hack, single-day subway closures which had been planned for a portion of Line 1 between St. Clair and College stations on Saturday has been cancelled.

The TTC provides public transit service for up to 1.7 million people per weekday in Toronto and surrounding municipalities.

Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report