Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Security Theater – Transit Police try to enhance the “perception” of security for SkyTrain riders.
I was thinking back to my last visit to Vancouver and contemplating an article I read in the Metro newspaper… an article on security that caught my eye.
It seems that the Transit Police are involved in Security Theater. I am not suggesting that they don‘t take security seriously, but I believe they are missing something very important. While cleaning up the transit stations and getting rid of the aggressive panhandlers, drug addicts, and garbage is a good thing (Vancouver Transit Police now carry arms), what about the systems that control the SkyTrain? How easy would it be to hack into the control system and cause havoc? What might be the consequences of a rush hour calamity? Considering the entire system is automated and managed from their main control station in Burnaby. Just the other day, the news media reported one of their trains moving along with the side door open, a little unnerving traveling at 60km/h, 5 stories from the ground… Further with new lines such as the Canada Line down to the Airport set to open and expand the SkyTrain routes, the thought of network and system availability and reliability are more important than ever before.
Here at Wurldtech, we have looked at railroad control systems before. Actually, we did more that look at them, we hacked into them. Compared to some of the other critical infrastructure systems we’ve worked with, the railroad control systems were easy. Sure more officers, on-site attendants, CCTV, and even an occasional police dog are probably good ideas, but what about the security you don’t see? Isn’t it time to move beyond simple security theater and protect the heart of the system, which are the industrial controllers that run the show… especially in times of massive transit demand.
This leads me to my next thought… With the 2010 Games just around the corner, we understand the cyber-security is just one part of the equation for the overall security formula for the Event, so we at Wurldtech are working on some initiatives during the first part of 2009 to help create awareness amongst operators, organizers and government officials to prepare and secure our critical infrastructures (such as rapid transit and power) from possible cyber attack and intrusion.
More to come…