US traffic light hack: manufacturer made it easy for pranksters
In several major US cities, the voices of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and other tech bosses were heard from pedestrian lights.
(Image: Daniel AJ Sokolov)
Pranksters in the USA have manipulated a number of pedestrian traffic lights in various major cities so that the voices of celebrities from the tech industry can be heard instead of the normal announcements. And as has now emerged, it didn't even take much effort. A smartphone and the password 1234 were all that was needed to access the traffic light controls.
The importance of choosing a secure password is emphasized time and again, not only on the annual World Password Day. In the case of the US traffic lights, the manufacturer Polara trusted that the buyers of the traffic lights – cities and municipalities – would take care of this. Apparently, however, they have not done so, as The Register reports.
Service app freely available in the App Store
As a result, it was easy to access the crossing aids using a service app from the manufacturer. This connects to the system via Bluetooth. To make maintenance as easy as possible for customers without the need for a special device, the app required for this was freely available in the App Store for iOS and the Google Play Store. Conveniently, the standard password is also freely available online, namely in the manufacturer's documentation.
Videos by heise
Normally, a robotic voice sounds from the loudspeakers of the traffic light buttons, signaling to visually impaired people in particular via "Wait" and "Walk" whether the traffic light is green or red. In the case of the manipulated systems, AI-generated voices of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg were heard instead, alluding to current political issues. In Bezos' case, for example, he warned against taxing billionaires in Seattle more heavily. Otherwise they would move to Florida.
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Authorities don't find the hack funny
The relevant authorities find the joke anything but funny, US media report. They are now faced with the task of first identifying the affected traffic lights and readjusting them individually. The manufacturer has already withdrawn its service app from the app stores. However, this is unlikely to have much effect on those who have already installed it. In addition, copies are probably circulating on the internet.
(mki)
