Skip to main content
The homepageVoxVox logo
The homepageVoxVox logo

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Hackers took down the computer system for San Francisco’s Muni metro line

Fares were free on Saturday.

by Jason Del Rey
Day Two Of San Francisco Transit Workers’ ‘Sickout’ Causes Commuting Delays Throughout City
Day Two Of San Francisco Transit Workers’ ‘Sickout’ Causes Commuting Delays Throughout City
Justin Sullivan / Getty
Jason Del Rey
Jason Del Rey has been a business journalist for 15 years and has covered Amazon, Walmart, and the e-commerce industry for the last decade. He was a senior correspondent at Vox.

Internet hackers crashed the computer system of San Francisco’s Muni rail system this week, knocking ticket kiosks offline and giving riders a free ride.

A spokesperson told San Francisco’s CBS affiliate that the system “opened the fare gates as a precaution to minimize customer impact.” Rides were free all day on Saturday, into Sunday morning.

Sources told San Francisco’s CBS affiliate on Saturday that the system had been hacked for days. Spokespeople didn’t respond to requests for comment from Recode on Sunday but told CBS they didn’t know who was behind it or what they wanted.

Muni’s email system was also reportedly compromised and employees weren’t sure if they would get paid this week.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

See More:

Most Popular

  1. Take a mental break with the newest Vox crossword
  2. The 5 most unhinged revelations from Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI
  3. A year of Trump is backfiring on the religious right
  4. The Air Quality Index and how to use it, explained
  5. The rise of the progressive billionaire candidate

More in Technology

Future Perfect
The 5 most unhinged revelations from Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAIThe 5 most unhinged revelations from Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI
Future Perfect

The Musk v. OpenAI trial is over. Here are the receipts.

By Sara Herschander
Podcasts
Are humanoid robots all hype?Are humanoid robots all hype?
Podcast
Podcasts

AI is making them better — but they’re not going to be doing your chores anytime soon.

By Avishay Artsy and Sean Rameswaram
Future Perfect
The old tech that could help stop the next airborne pandemicThe old tech that could help stop the next airborne pandemic
Future Perfect

Glycol vapors, explained.

By Shayna Korol
Future Perfect
Elon Musk could lose his case against OpenAI — and still get what he wantsElon Musk could lose his case against OpenAI — and still get what he wants
Future Perfect

It’s not about who wins. It’s about the dirty laundry you air along the way.

By Sara Herschander
Life
Why banning kids from AI isn’t the answerWhy banning kids from AI isn’t the answer
Life

What kids really need in the age of artificial intelligence.

By Anna North
Culture
Anthropic owes authors $1.5B for pirating work — but the claims process is a Kafkaesque messAnthropic owes authors $1.5B for pirating work — but the claims process is a Kafkaesque mess
Culture

“Your AI monster ate all our work. Now you’re trying to pay us off with this piece of garbage that doesn’t work.”

By Constance Grady