Beware of bullfight blocking your way
TWO ITALIAN hackers have worked out how to send fake traffic data to car navigation systems.
Andrea Barisani, chief security engineer at Inverse Path and hardware hacker Daniele Bianco told the CanSecWest security conference that they could use the hack to divert traffic with bogus warnings such as "terrorist incident," an "air raid" or a "bullfight."
The hackers send fake traffic information to navigation systems that use a data feature of FM radio for real-time traffic information. They managed to fake queues, bad weather, full car parks, overcrowded service areas, accidents, and roadworks.
The hack did not cost much, all it required was some off-the-shelf hardware that can broadcast traffic data that will be picked up by cars in about a one-mile radius. Barisani and hardware hacker Daniele Bianco said that many navigation aides to get traffic data isn't secured. The data is sent using the Traffic Message Channel (TMC) of the Radio Data System (RDS). All they needed to do was pen a program to decode the RDS data.
It means that anyone performing a modern "Italian Job" does not need to hack into the Italian traffic system. All they need to do is send all the cars scurrying away from World War III in front of them and then "blow the bloody doors off".
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