"Ukrzaliznytsia" restored 90% of online services after a cyberattack: discounts and bonuses for passengers announced

"Ukrzaliznytsia" restored 90% of online services after a cyberattack: discounts and bonuses for passengers announced

On March 31, the Deputy Minister of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine for Digital Development and Digital Transformations, Andriy Bratus, the Chairman of the Board of JSC "Ukrzaliznytsia" Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, the head of the State Cyber Defence Center of the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine Yevheniya Nakonechna, and the director of the GIOC branch of JSC "Ukrzaliznytsia" Oleksandr Pavlenko talked about the consequences of the cyber attack on "Ukrzaliznytsia" that occurred on the night of March 23, as well as the measures to restore the company’s online services.

"Today, the enemy operates not only in the physical space at the front line and in the air but also in cyberspace. Attacks on critical information infrastructure targets are aimed at destabilizing the transport sector. Despite this, "Ukrzaliznytsia" swiftly moved to a crisis work plan: train traffic did not stop, additional ticket offices were opened, and the company’s team demonstrated effective interaction. Together, we are working on an algorithm to prevent such situations in the future and will use this experience for implementation in other institutions under the ministry’s jurisdiction," emphasized Andriy Bratus.

Oleksandr Pertsovskyi stated that as of today, 90% of passenger online services have been restored, and work to restore services for freight senders continues, aiming for completion in the first decade of April. To reduce inconvenience for passengers, 123 additional ticket offices were opened at stations in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Odesa, Kharkiv, and other cities. In four days, 155,520 tickets were sold through them.

"Ukrzaliznytsia" emphasized that the restoration of online services is being carried out with meticulous verification of backup files for hidden threats and the implementation of additional cybersecurity measures. IT specialists from state bodies and businesses are assisting "Ukrzaliznytsia" in this process.

To support passengers who spent additional time in queues, dozens of Ukrainian brands offered special discounts and bonuses to holders of paper tickets purchased during the online system shutdown.

In addition to ticket sales, the online scoreboard and the system for issuing discount travel documents are now operational. The loyalty program "Iron Friends" will resume soon, all accumulated bonuses will be returned, along with additional incentives for inconvenience.