Public wi-fi services at Reading Station have been suspended after a widespread cyber attack, with authorities warning that other organisations aside from train stations may have been targeted. 

Reading Station is among 19 train stations across England that have been targeted in the suspected cyber attack. 

Passengers attempting to access wi-fi services at the train station this evening have been shown a webpage titled "We love you, Europe," listing information about terror attacks in the UK and abroad. 

Alongside Reading, stations reporting the cyber attack include 11 across London, as well as Manchester Piccadilly, Birmingham New Street, Glasgow Central, Leeds City, Liverpool Lime Street, Bristol Temple Meads, Edinburgh Waverley, and Guildford.

Network Rail said it believed other organisations, not just rail stations, had also been targeted.

The train station's wifi network "doesn't collect any personal data," according to a spokesperson from the rail provider. 

The representative said: “Last night the public wifi at 19 of Network Rail's managed stations was subjected to a cyber security incident and was quickly taken off-line. The incident is subject to a full investigation.

"The wifi is provided by a third party, is self-contained and is a simple 'click & connect' service that doesn’t collect any personal data.

"Once our final security checks have been completed we anticipate the service will be restored by the weekend."

Telent, the third-party firm which provides wifi for Network Rail, said it was also investigating the incident.

According to its website, Telent helps design, build, support and manage some of the UK’s “critical digital infrastructure”, and its other customers include Openreach, Transport for London (TfL), National Highways, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the NHS Ambulance Radio Programme.

It has not yet been confirmed if any of Telent’s other customers have been impacted by the incident.

Jake Moore, global cybersecurity adviser at Eset, said the incident appeared to be an attempt to draw attention to a lack of security, rather than a “genuine threat”.

“Cyber attacks often occur in stealth mode and attempt to carry out activities without anyone noticing anything until the real damage is complete,” he said.

“However, by defacing the wifi logon screen with a terror message suggests that the motive may simply be to test its general security rather than to pose a genuine threat – and in this case, via the weakest link in the supply chain and most likely via a phishing campaign.

“Financially motivated cyber criminals are out to find data they can either steal or sabotage with a ransom demand put in place.

“However, it seems nothing more has been demanded here other than more security in place following a separate attack on TfL earlier this month.”