Just the other day, I pointed out that I thought it was a really bad idea for Boeing to integrate internet access into their new 787 aircraft. Right after that, I linked to an article that detailed how a man hacked into a fault in internet browsers that allowed access to LAN printers. The result: spam spewing from printers that were not supposed to be accessible to the internet at all.
Well, today, a 14-year old Polish boy proves the point again. He managed to hack into the tram system in Lodz, Poland and play with the real trains, carrying real people, like a giant train set – injuring people when the trains derailed as a result of his antics.
Twelve people were injured in one derailment, and the boy is suspected of having been involved in several similar incidents.
The teenager, who was not named by police, told them he had changed the points for a prank.
A police statement said he had trespassed at tram depots in the city to gather information and the equipment needed to build the infra-red device.
"Questioned by police in the presence of a psychologist, the teenager testified he switched tram tracks three times, once causing a tram to jump the tracks," said the statement. A search at the boy's home turned up the device he had used to switch tram tracks.
Note that he did not crack into the system via the internet at all. Which is why I pointed out that there are unforeseen ways to break into any system, no matter how many safeguards the designers put in.
While, of course, I deplore the result and the lack of foresight, I am also impressed by the sheer imagination and drive. Kid is going to need supervision, but he might have a future at DARPA or TSD.
Were I an editor, I’d likely have whitewashed or downplayed this until safeguards were put in place, but that’s just me.
“Aye sir, the more they overtech the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.” — Scotty, Star Trek III: The Search For Spock