Italy’s state railway may have been target of cyber attack

Italian railway company Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS) said it had temporarily halted some ticket sale services on Wednesday as it feared they had been targeted by a cyber attack.

“Since this morning, elements that could be linked to a cryptolocker infection have been detected on the computer network of Trenitalia and RFI,” the company said in a statement. “The network is currently being checked.”

Italian news agency Ansa quoted unnamed security sources as saying that the type of attack suggested it was the work of Russian hackers. Contacted by Reuters, the interior ministry declined to comment on the report.

The state-controlled FS said it had suspended the sale of tickets at its offices and self-service machines in train stations as a precautionary measure, while online sales were working as usual.

The disruptions did not impact rail traffic which was running smoothly, FS added.

The railway network managed by RFI is over 16,700 kilometres (10,400 miles) long, of which more than 700 km is dedicated to high-speed services.