Smart Bus Travellers May Have Their Data Stolen, Routes Changed and Onboard Camera Accessed Due to Wi-Fi Security Gaps
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- Smart Buses Security Gaps: Hackers can track buses, alter GPS data, and disrupt travel schedules.
- Attack Vector: Shared passenger Wi-Fi with critical onboard control systems, including APTS for route and ADAS for vehicle functions.
- Implication: Theft of passenger and driver data, plus potential driver impersonation.
Security researchers uncovered smart bus flaws that could be exploited to track their location, access cameras, and even alter their GPS data, disrupting schedules.
Moreover, routers lacking encryption, network segmentation, or adequate authentication expose passenger and driver data to the risk of theft. Vulnerabilities such as command injections and an MQTT backdoor could also allow attackers to gain access to the smart bus.
Exploiting APTS and ADAS
Researchers at DEF CON found that free passenger Wi-Fi shared with onboard systems like APTS and ADAS could be exploited, and routers lacking encryption, segmentation, or strong authentication leave passenger and driver data vulnerable to theft.
Advanced Public Transportation Services (APTS) handle bus routes, schedules, and passenger updates, while Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) use sensors and cameras to support drivers, prevent accidents, and improve overall safety.
Chiao-Lin ‘Steven Meow’ Yu of Trend Micro Taiwan told SecurityWeek, “Once an attacker understands the protocol via packet analysis or similar methods, it is possible to perform attacks from the internet without needing to be physically present on the bus.”
Since APTS is coordinated through a central system, when this network is linked to the public Wi-Fi, travelers using the service could be exposed to remote cyber threats, which was demonstrated by researchers who bypassed the router’s authentication, a Security Week report read.
Risk to Smart Bus Operations from Unsecured Onboard Wi-Fi
When hackers target onboard displays and gain access to a transportation company’s servers, they can manipulate messages, disrupt schedules, and interfere with operations.
By accessing driver information, they could even impersonate them, posing serious safety and security risks for passengers and the transit network, both online and offline.Stolen passenger travel data could open doors to further exploitation, as viewed in the KLM breach. Latest findings point to a threat actor putting customer support data on sale on the dark web, allegedly from the airline’s loyalty CRM, following Air France-KLM’s recent supply chain attack.
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