Computer hackers 'could bring rail network to a standstill' warns security expert - but would we e

Computer hackers 'could bring rail network to a standstill' warns security expert - but would we even notice?

www.dail ymail.co.uk

Railway systems have become vulnerable to the simplest form of cyber attack - one that can easily be mastered by relatively unskilled teenage hackers.

Anyone who knows how to unleash a 'denial of service' attack could bring train services to a standstill, a German security expert said this week.

(visit the link for the full news article)

The article goes on to say:

The vulnerability is due to mobile phone signals used to link railway switching systems together - and would allow hackers to cause massive service disruption.

'Denial of service' campaigns are one of the simplest forms of cyber attack - where hackers recruit large numbers of computers to overwhelm the targeted system with Internet traffic.

The attacks require far less skill than penetrating a computer network or writing malicious software.

Hackers have used the approach to attack sites of government agencies around the world and sites of businesses.

Stefan Katzenbeisser, professor at Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany, said switching systems were at risk of 'denial of service' attacks, which could cause long disruptions to rail services.

'Trains could not crash, but service could be disrupted for quite some time,' said Katzenbeisser

This is really not good news. I cant believe they would rely on such a vulnerable system for something like the national train network. It seems crazy.

So will this be a distributed denial of train service (DDoTS)?


www.dail ymail.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

So since this is now know they would essentially put measures in to keep this from happening right? I mean it's like saying yeah there is a hole in my house someone could get in then walking away from it would not make since. I would assume they'd patch it up.

they just point at anything and say that, then poof, magical money gets thrown at it from all directions to appease the fear gods.

reply to post by yourmaker


If all else fails, I am sure the switch can still be thrown from the tower/dispatcher... Or you know, manually, like it had been done for years?

Some kids playing with networks and security. Why would someone waste their time doing DOS hacking?

Hacking should be something worth while and should send a msg. For example Anon hacking for freedom of information.

These are just dumb kids wasting time.

-SAP-

Originally posted by PhoenixOD

Computer hackers 'could bring rail network to a standstill' warns security expert - but would we even notice?

Obviously you don't live next door to a RR track like I do.

reply to post by JustinErikson


lol , actually i do but title of OP is the title from the source article not my own

reply to post by PhoenixOD


I can see that it wont be long before all manner of breakdowns and delays will be blamed on these hacker groups. This will be done 'deal' with their current hero status and turn them into villans.

reply to post by bussoboy


I had to laugh at one such failure that was originally suspected of being a cyber-attack... and then I stopped after reading one former official's quote.

Feds investigating Illinois 'pump failure' as possible cyber attack

When I read that the Feds and a "Cyber security expert" were investigating the possibility that a cyber-attack caused a burned out pump I couldn't help but think, wouldn't the first thought in such a situation normally be a maintenance issue before jumping on the whole terrorism bus. That was the part I laughed over.

I stopped laughing when I read this quote.

"This is just one of many events that occur almost on a weekly basis," said Sean McGurk, former director of the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center. "While it may be nice to speculate that it was caused by a nation-state or actor, it may be the unintended consequence of maintenance," he said.

Why on earth would anyone think it would be nice to speculate that such a thing would be caused by in effect a terrorist attack??

Having worked for a railway operator in england I may confirm that a bad cup of coffee could bring that rail network to a standstill

A message to computer hackers:

Welcome to hell - have a nice day ...