Isn't Train Switching Technology Safe? - Vulnerability Exposed

Before stating that train switching technology is not immune from hacker attacks, let me first explain what train switching technology is. A train switch device allows a train to switch from one line to another at a junction. Traditionally mechanical devices were used for this. Then analog systems came by. In Europe, by the end of last century, more than 35 incompatible systems were used. Then some manufacturers came up with what they called, GSM-Railway (GSM-R).



They developed it with an aim of bringing in a single digital standard. It is nothing but a “more secure version of the 2G wireless standard”. This technology allows drivers to speak to traffic controllers and also send data to them, after measuring the speed of the train and location. Then the controllers use the data to check for other train’s locations and grant permission for the train to enter the next track. It is already in use in Europe, Africa and Asia and will have covered Britain by 2014. So the technology is trying to make the traffic signals a new show piece in the museums.

But then the question arises: Is it really capable of it? Prof Stefan Katzenbeisser, the computer science expert from Technische Universität Darmstadt, believes it is not so safe after all, making the traffic signals safer and better. It may be safe under normal circumstances but not always. The encryption keys that are used to protect the data may actually not so efficient in protecting the data. In fact they can even be the reason for the loss of security. The main reason is because the data regarding the encryption keys is first downloaded in a pen-drive and then distributed to the different centers. If they fall in the wrong hands, they can block the data traffic by sending signals and cause a denial-of-service attack, forcing it to shut down. But it will not be fatal. They will not cause trains to crash but will cause all the services to be disrupted. A spokesman for Network Rail said the issue was being blown up and the safety has been well attended to and that they need not comment about the security.

Source: <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16347248" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Train-switching technology 'poses hacking threat' - BBC News</a>