If you’re a frequent user of the Putrajaya line MRT, you’re probably aware that the line had a bout of “network interference”, preventing Touch ‘n Go topups. While the nature of the network disruptions were not disclosed in the official RapidKL announcement, the incident may have been caused by ransomware.

Twitter user @hanapimana asked RapidKL for an explanation as to the cause of the network interference, stating that he doesn’t mind getting a technical answer. In a now deleted reply, the company stated that the network disruption was caused by a “ransomware issue”. That, and the company is working to restore functionality as soon as possible.

It’s unclear why RapidKL decided to delete the reply. Should the deleted tweet be true, it’s also unclear what other bits of data may be compromised beyond the Touch ‘n Go transaction system. RapidKL did test additional payment options via bank cards in the past, but it’s unclear if any part of this process is affected in a similar way to the Touch ‘n Go transaction disruption.

While RapidKL did say in the now-deleted tweet that it is working to restore functionality, the company did not provide an expected timeline for resolution. For those who need to reload their Touch ‘n Go cards, the initial announcement suggested that these be done elsewhere. While anywhere that provides such services would work, the announcement listed specifically the MRT Kajang line or connected Monorail stations.

At any rate, this probably won’t be counted towards the target of achieving the Mean Kilometres Between Failures (MKBF) of a million KM, the key performance indicator (KPI) set by the transport ministry for RapidKL, or more specifically its parent company Prasarana. The first phase of the MRT Putrajaya line was launched on 16 June last year, with the second phase getting launched relatively recently, in March of 2023.

(Source: Amanz, RapidKL)

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