Event description

A downtown intersection turned into something out of a disaster movie today, when a shocking accident paralyzed traffic in the city center. Casualties could not be avoided: six people died in the collision, and more than two dozen were injured. Because ambulances are unable to get to the scene, medics are heading there on foot.
The accident took place due to a traffic light fault. The investigation showed that the real cause of the failure was a hacker attack. An unscheduled inspection of the transport company Heavy Logistics is underway.

Consequences

1. Damage to personal property
2. Human casualties
3. System failures

This has happened before

Los Angeles Times

Two accused of sabotaging traffic lights

Who greenlighted this traffic-signal project?

That was the question flashing through the traffic-control center beneath Los Angeles City Hall on Friday as two high-ranking city transportation engineers were accused of sabotaging intersection signal lights during a labor union contract dispute four months ago.

They have been charged with multiple counts of illegally hacking into traffic-control computers and disabling signals at four busy intersections.

Event description

The city’s traffic lights have gone haywire. City residents have never seen anything like it: the lights are changing color erratically or not working at all; even the auditory traffic signaling is behaving strangely and constantly emitting loud noises. In one half of the city, all traffic lights are red: roads are clogged with traffic, and people have been stuck in their cars and on public transport for several hours, unable to get home. In the other half of the city, all traffic lights are green, including pedestrian crossings. Many incidents have been caused by inattentive pedestrians and drivers blindly trusting the green signal. According to a preliminary statement by the transport company Heavy Logistics, hackers carried out a major attack on the traffic light system in order to sow chaos across the city.

Consequences

1. Damage to personal property
2. Human casualties
3. System failures

This has happened before

Wired

Dutch hackers found a simple way to mess with traffic lights

In movies like Die Hard 4 and The Italian Job, hijacking traffic lights over the internet looks easy. But real-world traffic-light hacking, demonstrated by security researchers in years past, has proven tougher, requiring someone to be within radio range of every target light. Now a pair of Dutch researchers has shown how hackers really can spoof traffic data to mess with traffic lights easily from any internet connection—though luckily not in a Hollywood style that would cause mass collisions.