Two smart guys were able to hack into the taxi dispatch system at John Fitzgerald Kennedy Airport in New York.
A ride that lasted two years, between September 2019 and September 2021!
10 dollars to be served first
Upon arrival at John Fitzgerald Kennedy Airport in New York, taxis are first come first served. The airport’s shopping distribution system is organized according to the order of arrival of the drivers.
A fair method, which, it seems, has not been to everyone’s taste. Two friends from Queens, Daniel Abayev and Peter Leyman of their first names, have thus sought, and succeeded in circumventing the rule. And to do this, after having imagined several solutions to enter the system (such as stealing tablets that were connected to it, or even bribing an employee to plug in a key containing malware, etc.). They found the solution: Russian hackers!
By collaborating with them, they managed to enter the machine and offered themselves the possibility of changing the order of distribution at their convenience. They then communicated with the taxi drivers, explaining to them that they could climb to the top of the list for the modest sum of 10 dollars!
They now face 10 years in prison.
A particularly well-established system, since an exemption from this small tax of 10 dollars was even provided for drivers who managed to recruit colleagues ready to pay to jump the queue.
And it was not fear that could have restrained the accomplices. Mr. Abayev had asked Russian hackers in November 2019: “ I know the Pentagon is hacked[.]. So can’t we hack the taxi industry [?] »
Unfortunately for the two 48-year-old men, the pot of roses ended up being discovered, and since then they have been prosecuted by the American Department of Justice. They now face two counts of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. Enough to send them behind bars… for 10 years.
Source : Engadget, US Department of Justice
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