HACKING TRANSPORT

I have a conspiracy theory nightmare about hackers causing accidents on planes and subways. MH370 was turned and disappeared. The AirFrance plane lost off Brazil had no fight recorder data left when the recorder was found.

Several years ago there was an accident on the San Francisco Muni, with evidence showing that the driver was frantically trying to remove the automatic controls right before a rear end crash. This was eerily echoed by a similar accident on the Muni in DC.

It is well known that car computer chips can be hacked. A hacker could disable breaks, or turn off an engine, causing a possibly fatal accident.

For years I have been blogging about the dangers of having unknown "back doors" in the computer chips used in our phones, computers, cars, etc. The chips used in transport need to be protected from hackers. Currently, everyone has their heads in the sand*, denying that the problem exists.

However, I find that I CAN NOT IGNORE my nightmare about MH370. In my nightmare, a hacker takes over the plane and flies it into the ocean. In my nightmare, for six and a half hours people frantically try to retake the controls from the hacker, to no avail.

By choosing the least expensive chips, you are choosing the chips that are easiest to hack. Those companies making unhackable chips can not sell them. Or worse, the unhackable chips are made in a country that automatically puts a "back door" in the chips so that only they can hack them.

We need to pay more for our computer equipment, if we want to trust that our computer equipment only takes orders from the "good guys".

THE LIVES WE SAVE WILL BE OUR OWN.

* This comes from the legend that an ostrich puts his head in the sand when he wants to hide. Of course the rest of his LARGE body can be seen by the predator. It is used to indicate that someone is ignoring reality. Something we all do a lot.