Two young hackers, Thalha Jubair and Owen Flowers, admitted roles in a multi-day TfL hack that shut down systems and caused tens of millions in damages and lost income.

Video evidence shows Flowers livestreaming Jubair during the operation, with footage recovered after Flowers’ arrest, and the pair remained in constant contact discussing how to 'nuke access' as they exited.

Evidence showed use of remote servers, creation of virtual machines to destroy evidence, data exfiltration, and multiple backdoors to conceal origins.

The TfL breach occurred in late August to early September 2024, costing around £29 million in damages and about £10 million in lost income.

Justice Turner presided the case, with sentencing set for the following day and officials emphasizing the seriousness and potentially broad impact of the attack.

Investigators linked the defendants to other attacks on US healthcare firms and retailers, indicating broader criminal activity.

The intruders exploited social engineering to reset passwords, then moved through TfL networks via Microsoft Azure, using virtual machines and backdoors to conceal origins and exfiltrate data.

Prosecutors described the hackers as highly skilled and reckless, capable of catastrophic disruption to public transport and essential services, with potential billions in losses to the UK if central TfL systems had been locked or destroyed.

The defendants livestreamed parts of the hack, and evidence includes Flowers filming Jubair during the operation, with recovery of some footage after arrest.

Both defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit unauthorised acts related to a computer; Flowers also admitted counts tied to impairing healthcare systems, with Jubair having prior convictions.

Sentencing was scheduled for the day after the report, with judges stressing the attackers as instigators rather than mere puppets in a larger operation.

Judges and prosecutors warned the attack posed a serious risk to public safety and vital services, noting possible degradation of transport, education, healthcare, and London’s economy if not stopped.