Maryland investigating cyberattack impacting transit service for disabled people

Several state departments in Maryland are dealing with a cyberattack affecting systems used to organize transportation for disabled people. 

On Sunday, the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) published warnings on social media and on its website about a cyber incident involving unauthorized access to some systems. 

While the MTA’s core transportation services — which include bus lines, subways and a light rail system — were not affected, some real-time information systems and other tools used for the specialized transit service called Mobility were impacted. 

Mobility serves people who cannot get to or wait at a bus stop. The shared ride service is ordered through a website and takes people from their homes to their destination. 

MTA said mobility services “are unable to schedule new trips or rebook existing trips.”

“Additionally, some MTA service operations and information systems, including real-time information and our call centers may experience impacts,” the department explained.

“We are working with third-party cybersecurity experts and law enforcement partners to assess the scope of the incident and mitigate its impact.”

All previously scheduled Mobility trips for the week will be honored. Those seeking new rides should use the Call-A-Ride program, which can be accessed through its website or a phone number. 

The MTA said the state’s Department of Emergency Management has activated a statewide emergency operations center that includes the Department of Information Technology and other key agencies. 

No hacking group has taken credit for the incident as of Monday afternoon. Earlier this year, Maryland’s largest county suffered a cyberattack that limited government services for days. 

Hackers have repeatedly caused issues to municipal disability services through cyberattacks on local governments in the U.S. Over the last two years, cities in Missouri, Virginia and other states have had to provide alternatives to disabled residents after cyberattacks or ransomware incidents took critical systems offline.