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Hacking UK Car Park Signs using Packet Modification

UnknownUnknown
edited July 2011 in Tech & Games
While I was showering, I was thinking about how parking signs in the UK are operated and how they could be hacked, and I came up with something. What if you could get onto the network which the roadsigns are on? Forget about breaking into the "main system" which controls the signs for a second - let's just say you found a way onto the network. Now, these signs require information to be sent to them in order for them to work, right? Well, this information must travel to the signs in packets - packets can be captured, modified and sent on to their original destination.

If someone could perform a Man in the Middle attack to get in between a roadsign and the control panel, could they intercept packets, modify them to display some lulzy information on the sign, and then send the packets to the actual roadsign?
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Comments

  • MayorofMonkeytownMayorofMonkeytown Regular
    edited July 2011
    How much water did you waste?

    You should turn the tap off.
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  • TheWitchDoctorTheWitchDoctor Regular
    edited July 2011
    Are the road signs on a wireless network?
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  • BlakeGriffinIsMyHeroBlakeGriffinIsMyHero Acolyte
    edited July 2011
    TheWitchDoctor wrote: »
    Are the road signs on a wireless network?
    If they were UKers whould be seeing a hacked sign every damn day.
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  • UnknownUnknown
    edited July 2011
    Actually, I've been past a few of these signs which are near to me and they all seem to have one thing in common - an antenna sticking out of the side. I'll get a picture when I next go past a sign, but from what I assume, these signs are updated wirelessly by the traffic agency or whatever their name is. They also do the signs which you see on UK motorways, giving information about the road ahead assuming there's been a collision or something. I'm not sure what else the antenna would be for - think I could be onto something here?

    The only problem would be getting onto the network, but I have no idea what security would be like.
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  • SlartibartfastSlartibartfast Global Moderator -__-
    edited July 2011
    I've never seen these things.
    I'd imagine those antennas are for short range maintenance. How often are they updated? It could be the case that people go around each one and manually reprogram them.
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  • UnknownUnknown
    edited July 2011
    ^ They seem to be updated quite often. Now that I think about it, they're fairly close to the car park which they're displaying information on. Could it be possible that when tickets are issued to the people wanting to park their cars, the number of spaces left in the car park is tallied up and sent via a wireless signal to the signs?

    I seriously doubt someone would go around each one and manually program them as the number of available spaces changes all the time. I also don't think that someone would sit in a control room and manually send out the information to the signs when it can all be done automatically. Hmmmmmmmmm.
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  • SlartibartfastSlartibartfast Global Moderator -__-
    edited July 2011
    oh i see, it tally's up the available parking spots in a parking area and displays it? yeah that's definitely how the do it - no other way, right ?

    It may not even be a closed network, they may send the data over the internet.
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  • famthegeekfamthegeek New Arrival
    edited July 2011
    If somebody took a closer look at the antennas, we could probably find out how to hack it. They are most likely controlled by a 5GHz "wifi" signal, or on a radio band. I believe that they most likely are controlled by wireless signals, and as we know everything wireless is hackable...
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  • DaktologistDaktologist Global Moderator
    edited July 2011
    Auschwitz Nazi Disneyland wrote: »
    End result = every time it catches someone speeding, it saves a copy of the GOATSE man instead of their license plate.

    .

    That is an awesome idea :D
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