hackers
hackers

Hackers delete speed camera photos

In Italy hackers are reported to have breached a police computer system and erased 40 gigabytes worth of speed camera infringement photographs.

The group is also reported to have released internal emails, documents and related information to the media.

“Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas,” read the message from Anonymous, which was sent from the municipal police department’s own email account.

As additional proof, the message included login information for the newly depleted “Concilia” database along with samples of the full violation data that had been accessed.

The breach was reported by TheNewspaper.com, a Washington DC-based site, that focus on the politics of driving and particularly red light and speed camera enforcement.

Internal email messages released by Anonymous described how a municipal employee previously had to fix a “mess” by restoring the database back to December 5 — suggesting at least some data may be available from backups.

Gazzetta di Reggio described the documents provided to reporters as including notes from two motorists complaining they had received tickets from Corregio speed cameras, even though they had never passed through the area.

Emails between police administrators and local politicians discussed how the speed camera profits were to be distributed.

While this may be the most serious security lapse involving photo enforcement, it is far from the only incident.

Last year, in Victoria, it was necessary to shut down 280 speed cameras after a ransomware virus infected the automated ticketing machines, causing them to freeze and reboot.

In Baytown, Texas, in 2009, city officials mistakenly exposed the personal information of 10,000 motorists in response to a simple freedom of information request.

The list goes on . . .

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