Peppels pretended to be a “white hat” hacker and, without going into details for the media, proved that without exception, all “smart” traffic lights in the country can be hacked from a distance of several kilometers via radio signal. Dutch smart traffic lights optimize road traffic to provide greater comfort and safety for all road users. These are controlled by a system called “traffic signal interdiction”, which is used primarily to stop conflicting traffic and allow emergency vehicles to pass.
Peppels explained that the danger he described does not directly apply to traffic lights because the lights are never used. However, if you want, you can hack such a radio system quite easily.
A potential vulnerability in traffic lights is that they rely on software-defined radio technology to transmit commands to control panels located near the traffic lights. For knowledgeable people, hacking such devices will not be difficult. This exploit takes advantage of the emergency radio signal used by ambulances and fire trucks to turn traffic lights green so they can easily pass through intersections in emergency situations.
And worst of all, hacking can create chaos on the roads, intersections are especially dangerous in this regard. Peppels simulated possible situations by hacking test traffic lights using a system he specially developed. And he did it in “one click”.
Explaining possible solutions, the expert noted that ensuring the security of smart traffic lights across the country is a large and complex issue, and that it becomes even more difficult because traffic light extinguishing systems are very old. Therefore, the authorities decided to completely replace the traffic lights. However, since these are “tens of thousands” of devices, this will require serious resources and time.
Source: Ferra
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