Hackers Crack London Tube's Ticketing System and Gain Free Rides

Some Dutch
researchers hacked into the ticketing system of the London Underground to
gain free rides for a day. More than ten million Oyster Cards are in
circulation, of which many have registered personal information on them.
Transport for London released a statement ensuring the security of the
passengers. "The most anyone could gain from a rogue card is one day's
travel," says the transit agency.  Some are concerned about the
millions of users who use smart-card to access entry into not only mass transit, but
into universities, public buildings, and for cashless payments. 

How did
they break into the Oyster Card system?

First, the hackers scanned one of the
London Underground card readers, collecting cryptographic key, which protects
the security of the system. This key is then uploaded onto a laptop.

Then, the hacker "brushes" a passenger, close enough to read their
contactless smart card, wirelessly taking the already-tagged card's
information. This information is again uploaded onto the computer.

Using both the data from the reader and the card, the hackers can program a card that allows free access on the entire London transport network.

Photo: Flickr/tompagenet.