Watch: Hackers Could Cause Chaos on America’s Roadways
Hackers struck the Colorado Department of Transportation in a ransomware attack in February that disrupted the agency’s operations for weeks.
State officials shut down 2,000 computers, and transportation employees were forced to use pen and paper or their personal devices.
Transportation systems are giant targets for cybercriminals, and many state and local government officials are starting to consider security solutions. Alan Davis, an assistant state traffic engineer for the Georgia transportation agency, says his state has bolstered their security, and urges other states to follow. A 2016 survey of top IT security officers from 48 states found spending on cybersecurity ranged from zero to 2 percent.
“We need to guard against cyber attacks because they’re exponentially increasing. It would be fair to say that they hadn’t been thinking about it yet.” – Doug Couto, cyber security and transportation consultant
