Cyberattack on a Car Breathalyzer Firm Leaves Drivers Stuck (wired.com)
- Reference: 0181089324
- News link: https://it.slashdot.org/story/26/03/23/2323217/cyberattack-on-a-car-breathalyzer-firm-leaves-drivers-stuck
- Source link: https://www.wired.com/story/security-news-this-week-cyberattack-on-a-car-breathalyzer-firm-leaves-drivers-stuck/
> Intoxalock, an automotive breathalyzer maker that says it's used daily by 150,000 drivers across the U.S., last week [2]reported that it had been the target of a cyberattack, resulting in its "systems currently experiencing downtime," according to an announcement posted to its website. Meanwhile, drivers that use the breathalyzers have reported being stranded due to the devices' inability to connect to the company's services. "Our vehicles are giant paperweights right now through no fault of ours," one wrote [3]on Reddit . "I'm being held accountable at work and feel completely helpless."
>
> The lockouts appear to be the result of Intoxalock's breathalyzers needing periodic calibrations that require a connection to the company's servers. Drivers who are due for a calibration and can't perform one due to the company's downtime have been stuck, though the company now states on its website that it's offering 10-day extensions on those calibrations due to its cybersecurity disruption, as well as towing services in some cases. In the meantime, Intoxalock hasn't explained what sort of cyberattack it's facing or whether hackers have obtained any of the company's user data.
[1] https://www.wired.com/story/security-news-this-week-cyberattack-on-a-car-breathalyzer-firm-leaves-drivers-stuck/
[2] https://learn.intoxalock.com/status
[3] https://old.reddit.com/r/intoxalock/comments/1rv7e1z/who_cannot_drive_to_work_today/
IoT == Internet of Trash (Score:2)
Modern devices and machines appear to me like some hilarious Brazil-style cyberpunk joke-reality. Imagine an effing cyberattack bricking a lock on your car or engine-starter. LOL! Well, I guess it's not called "Internet of Trash" for no reason.
Suggestion (Score:2)
> an Iowa company called Intoxalock ...
Spend more time/money on your system security and infrastructure and less on a clever name and marketing. /s
Drink-driving. (Score:3)
Why does America have 150,000 drivers who can't be trusted to not drink and drive?
And why are they allowed a licence?
Re: (Score:2)
> And why are they allowed a licence?
Wouldn't a breathalyzer lockout on a car's ignition be a better safety feature than taking away their license? I mean, it's not like you have to scan a valid license to operate a vehicle. Taking away theirs would likely just result in a bunch of unlicensed drunk drivers behind the wheel.
Re: (Score:2)
True, but their cars plates would be registered and if they were spotted driving them it would be prison time.
Re: (Score:2)
I think the question is not why does America have that, but rather why do you think that other countries don't. America is only slightly worse than average when it comes to DUI. In other countries I genuinely question whether they are being investigated correctly. E.g. in Australia I used to pass random breath test checkpoints maybe every 3 weeks. In Europe I've been tested twice in the past decade.
Re: (Score:2)
[1]https://www.sandlawnd.com/dui-... [sandlawnd.com]
(I don't understand the odd wording at the start of this quoted paragraph because it sounds like it's being set up for a contradiction when it's not)
"While the United States may seem like we have high numbers for DUI accidents every year, we actually are the third worst country when it comes to drunk drivingâ"which obviously isnâ(TM)t great. In 2015, South Africa was ranked number one as the worst country when it comes to drunk driving. With 58% of their fatal acci
[1] https://www.sandlawnd.com/dui-statistics-of-us-vs-other-countries/
Re: (Score:2)
> And why are they allowed a licence?
They are allowed a license because US public transportation is total crap. And because it is better for society to have these people be productive, even if they need this guardrail.
But that is not actually what the story is about. The story is about doing infrastructure on the stupid.
Why does it even need a connection? (Score:3)
Why would such a device need a connection to anything?
Surely it can take the breath sample locally, analyse it, and then either start the car or refuse to do so entirely locally. This is yet another case of things being tied to a cloud service for absolutely no reason, and becoming useless when that service fails.
Re: (Score:1)
I believe that this is the nub of the problem here, in the UK it is fairly common for insurance companies to fit trackers that report on the driver's behaviour in return for substantial discounts on their premiums and I can also see governments applying this sort of technology to drivers who have multiple speeding convictions.
The total reliance on a service in the cloud will inevitably brick the whole vehicle should that service become unavailable.
Next time... (Score:1, Flamebait)
Next time don't drink and drive. Are we supposed to have sympathy for these sociopaths? I mean both the drunkards and the corporate dregs making a profit off of this. Feels like a popcorn moment. The only news I'd care about is if they didn't recover from the cyberattack and why. I don't care if some CTO gets fired or some drunkard can't unlock their car. Call a fucking cab.
Re: (Score:1, Interesting)
> Next time don't drink and drive. Are we supposed to have sympathy for these sociopaths?
I’m going to assume you have zero personal faults and do not require any form of medication strictly because of shitty life choices to be able to stand on such a pedestal. Otherwise, remind me why I should have sympathy for sugar junkies suffering from preventable diabetes when the insulin factory gets hacked. Call a fucking nutritionist.
Re: Next time... (Score:1)
Please elaborate. On the surface it seems like a good analogy: both alcohol and sugar can be avoided by making a choice, both are addictions (including everything that comes with addiction), both cause health issues, both have a cost for society. Analogies don't have to be a perfect 1:1 fit, they just have to work well enough for the points being discussed. We could probably make a decent analogy with smartphone addiction too.
Re: (Score:2)
That's a contradiction. If it's an addiction, it can't be avoided. That's the definition of addiction (as compared to abuse) that you no longer have control over the need for a substance.
Re: (Score:2)
Given the main issue with drink driving is killing other people an analogy that compared another activity that killed other people might be more appropriate don't you think? Unless you're a drunk yourself and are looking for that whole moral equivalence BS excuse. "Oh look, I'm no worse than someone who eats too much!"
Moron.
Re: (Score:3)
> I’m going to assume you have zero personal faults
Drink and driving is not a mistake or a personal fault. It's a conscious and truly FUCKING DUMB decision that should have significant consequences for you personally and no one else.
Comparing it to diabetes is just stupid. No one killed anyone else by getting diabeties, unless they accidentally sat on them.
Re: (Score:3)
> Iâ(TM)m going to assume you have zero personal faults and do not require any form of medication strictly because of shitty life choices to be able to stand on such a pedestal. Otherwise, remind me why I should have sympathy for sugar junkies suffering from preventable diabetes when the insulin factory gets hacked. Call a fucking nutritionist.
Except in general, you don't get interlock systems forced on you for your first mistake. Interlocks are generally the last resort.
The first DUI is usually a fine,
Re: (Score:3)
I have many faults. None of them involve altering my mental state and operating heavy machinery in a way that puts OTHER people at risk.
Re: Next time... (Score:4, Insightful)
> Are we supposed to have sympathy for these sociopaths?
This isn't the point.
The point is that a fwir justice system should deliver the punishment exactly as established, not give off "I altered the deal, pray I don't alter it any further".
The original deal was: you don't drink, you get to drive your car. Not "maybe", not "if nothing comes im between."
If you think that's too soft on crime, we can also discuss "you never get to drive a car again".
In any case stick to the f-ing deal . Being a criminal doesn't make you vogelfrei .
Oh no! (Score:2)
[1]Anyway [knowyourmeme.com]
[1] https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/oh-no-anyway
Re: (Score:2)
You do realize these devices are slowly on their way to become mandatory in all cars?
They're coming for you next...
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
You are missing the point of the story. Entirely. It is not about drunk driving.
Re: (Score:3)
The headline is "Cyberattack on a Car Breathalyzer Firm Leaves Drivers Stuck" and then "Intoxalock hasn't explained what sort of cyberattack it's facing". So if the story has no details about the cyberattack, and you say it's not about inconvenienced drunk drivers, what's the story about? I mean, if you want to be a mysterious cunt smugly telling other people they are stupid without explaining why, that's fine with me, but you should expect to get called out on that shit.