Teen causes mayham with Polish light rail system

[Lyon_Wonder]

http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Dozens-injured-as-boy-wreaks.3662874.jp 

A POLISH schoolboy who turned a city's tram network into a giant toy by manoeuvring rolling stock using a TV-style remote control has been arrested after he caused chaos on the public transport system.

Adam Dabrowski, 14, described by teachers as a model pupil and an electronics genius, hacked into the public transport network in Lodz to change the track points derailing at least four trams and leaving dozens injured.

The teenager had also equipped himself with a hand- drawn map of city tram junctions.

He told police in Lodz in central Poland he had changed the points on tram tracks across the city for a prank. But in one incident alone 12 people were injured.

The giant train set started operating at 1pm on Tuesday when a city tram driver tried to steer his vehicle on to right hand tracks, and found himself helpless to prevent it swerving to the left instead, seemingly of its own accord.

The rear wagon then swung off the rails and crashed into another passing tram, hurling screaming passengers to the floor.

Transport employees said they knew immediately that someone outside their staff had caused the accident.

Miroslaw Micor, spokesman for Lodz police, said: "He studied the trams and the tracks for a long time and then built a device that looked like a TV remote control and used it to manoeuvre the trams and the tracks."

Mr Micor added: "He had converted the TV control into a device capable of controlling all the junctions on the line and wrote in the pages of a school exercise book the best junctions to move trams around and what signals to change.

"He treated it like any other schoolboy might a giant train set – but it was lucky nobody was killed.

"Four trams were derailed, and others had to make emergency stops that left passengers hurt. He clearly did not think about the consequences of his actions."

Dabrowski is to face charges of endangering public safety in a special juvenile court.

[Ishmael]

So much for the security of rail systems run by computers. Anyone for computer driven airlines?

[Anonymous]

HAHAHAHAHA>>>>

Sorry, if my derisive laughter rings loud against those who is supposed to maintain network security against outside intruders of the electronic kind.

If a 14 year old CHILD can turn a great city trolley system carrying real people over in real time for his or her amusement as one plays like a trainset... there is something SERIOUSLY flawed and NEEDS FIXING.

My first action is to learn as much from this child and how he did it and THEN quickly install defenses before hundreds of his peers of that age group attempt the same thing. QUICKLY. THen when that child grows up, I will hire him to be a part of the system and help secure or better control these things.

What is that they used to say in fairy tales at Kinder? Oh ya.. mouth of babes carry big truths which adults cannot see.

Recently I was reviewing some of the FAA's directives to keep the new Boeing's ethernet and wireless ports closed to certain aircraft systems. One would think it possible to take over the airplane completely as it crosses the sky or nearly so.

[inch53]

Dat boy be in a whole heap of trouble now. I really figured something like that would have happened sooner, the way they've been hacking into other computer systems.

A friend of mine said computer security systems are like a door lock. It'll help keep an honest man honest, but a crook thinks it's just a fun challenge.

inch

[Namerifrats]

Gotta love their choice of words. Tried to "Steer" the train, and how it "swerved". How can people be so stupid about how train work. Other than that, I think it was very interesting that a young boy could figure out how to do what he done. Somebody like that here could prob figure out how to override the controls on these remote control engines that the class ones are fighting to put in everywhere. They could make a pretty good mess with those. But, I'm just a conductor, and I don't guess I see the big picture that railroad management sees.

[BlueHillsCPR]

I think it was very interesting tha a young boy could figure out how to do what he done.

 

It's the young boys and girls who are the elite hackers in the world.  No surprise here other than surprise it doesn't happen more. 

[JulesB]

So much for the security of rail systems run by computers. Anyone for computer driven airlines?

Excuse me but Airlines already are!

Airliners too, ever hear of an FMC, means Flight Management Computer. GPS, computerized! Modern Airliners are flown by computers, including autoland systems.

Jules

 

[rrnut282]

I'm picturing a hand-me-down Soviet central contol system that could be replaced by a small laptop computer.  What I want to know is how he fooled a system that should be fail-safe into moving switch points while occupied.

[marknewton]

An email from a mate in Strasburg cleared this one up. Lodz crews use infrared controls on board the trams to set routes.

Teenager derailed trams with home-made device.

WARSAW (AFP) - Police said they had arrested a Polish teenager Wednesday after he allegedly used a homemade device to derail city trams in Lodz, central Poland. Officers suspected the 14-year-old of having used the infra-red, remote-control device to switch tram tracks at street junctions from a distance, in one incident slightly injuring 12 commuters.

"Questioned by police in the presence of a psychologist, the teenager testified he switched tram tracks three times, once causing a tram to jump the tracks," said the statement posted on a police website. A search at the suspect's home turned up the device he had used to switch tram tracks.

Officers suspected he could be responsible for several other recent tram derailments in Lodz, said the statement. The boy told officers he had trespassed at tram depots to gather information and the equipment needed to build the device, said the statement.

So, there were in fact no ancient Soviet mainfames, laptop computers, cyberhacking, or any other high-tech highjinks, after all. Never let the facts get in the way of a good story, eh?

As for being able to move points while theyr'e occupied, in my expereince most Eastern European tramway systems don't have that level of sophistication. I can't ever recall seeing point detection on any of them I've visited.

Cheers,

Mark.

[marknewton]

Gotta love their choice of words. Tried to "Steer" the train, and how it "swerved". How can people be so stupid about how train work...

I wouldn't use the term "steer" - that's just sloppy journalism - but in essence the statement as quoted is correct. On many tram systems the drivers set their own routes on powered turnouts. They do it from within the tram, in advance of the turnout, by either powering or shutting off at a contactor or sensor on the trolley wire. Power on for the straight, power off for the turnout.They're usually marked with a sign attached to the span wire or mast. It's a system used all over the world, and has been around for a long time.
In Lodz, the drivers set routes using an infrared control on the car itself.
Don't assume because you railroad uses a particular system, that's the only system or method that can be used.

Cheers,

Mark.

[dknelson]

I knew I didn't trust this new fangled DCC stuff ....

Dave Nelson

[rixflix]

Where I work, the warehouse doors face Amtrak & CSX tracks. Whenever the the trains or their horns are loud enough, the guys out in the warehouse yell "hold Rick down (or he might get out of town)" because I used to hop a freight or two. Our receptionist was in back with me and the guys when someone said "Rick, haven't heard a train all morning". I went up front, got a soldering station with a dial and returned. "Watch this!" is what I said, knowing that an Amtrak was due out of Union Station just about every hour and this was one of them. I dialed up the soldering station, someone reminded me to plug it in, and with that the timing was perfect.

It went off like a trainset. 

The awe-struck receptionist said "Can you really do that?" 

After the laughter, radio control birds popped into my mind.

I just can't seem to control myself and may need help myself.

Yers, RIX

[tree68]

My first thought when I read the original post was that he had hacked the network, but now I see what he did.  In fact, he saw what he did, as opposed to sitting at a computer screen "playing a game." 

I'd be curious as to how he managed to figure out the signalling on the IR.  I'm sure it's more than just a "flash."