A Device to Turn Traffic Lights Green – Schneier on Security

A
Device
to
Turn
Traffic
Lights
Green

Here’s
a

story
about
a
hacker
who
reprogrammed
a
device
called
“Flipper
Zero”
to
mimic
Opticom
transmitters—to
turn
traffic
lights
in
his
path
green.

As
mentioned
earlier,
the
Flipper
Zero
has
a
built-in
sub-GHz
radio
that
lets
the
device
receive
data
(or
transmit
it,
with
the
right
firmware
in
approved
regions)
on
the

same
wireless
frequencies
as
keyfobs
and
other
devices.
Most
traffic
preemption
devices
intended
for
emergency
traffic
redirection
don’t
actually
transmit
signals
over
RF.
Instead,
they
use
optical
technology
to
beam
infrared
light
from
vehicles
to
static
receivers
mounted
on
traffic
light
poles.

Perhaps
the
most
well-known
branding
for
these
types
of
devices
is
called

Opticom.
Essentially,
the
tech
works
by
detecting
a
specific
pattern
of
infrared
light
emitted
by
the
Mobile
Infrared
Transmitter
(MIRT)
installed
in
a
police
car,
fire
truck,
or
ambulance
when
the
MIRT
is
switched
on.
When
the
receiver
detects
the
light,
the
traffic
system
then
initiates
a
signal
change
as
the
emergency
vehicle
approaches
an
intersection,
safely
redirecting
the
traffic
flow
so
that
the
emergency
vehicle
can
pass
through
the
intersection
as
if
it
were
regular
traffic
and
potentially
avoid
a
collision.

This
seems
easy
to
do,
but
it’s
also
very
illegal.
It’s
called
“impersonating
an
emergency
vehicle,”
and
it
comes
with
hefty
penalties
if
you’re
caught.

Tags:

cars,

impersonation,

police,

radio