### Cyber Darkening Streets - The Impact of Remote Car Stops and Unauthorized Entry (2000)

### Cyber Darkening Streets - The Impact of Remote Car Stops and Unauthorized Entry (2000)

After the Lehman Brothers collapse in 2008, American society was rapidly becoming unstable. Mortgage defaults were spreading across the U.S., unemployment was rising, and people's lives were being shaken to their very foundations. Especially in Texas, where cars are the lifeline of people's lives, delinquent auto loans were a serious problem, and the dangerous business of tow trucks used to be rampant, with contractors collecting them in the middle of the night. Violent incidents and collisions were also commonplace, leading to a search for safer and more efficient means of collection.

Against this historical background, dealers introduced a new technology called "remote shutoff. A small black box installed under the dashboard was connected via the Internet to the dealership's server, which could wirelessly stop the engine or sound the horn as a warning if payment was overdue. The application of wireless communication technology that was developing at the time, especially remote control via cellular phone networks and Wi-Fi, was a precursor to the Internet of Things (IoT).

In 2000, however, the city of Austin became acutely aware of the fragility of this technology. One day, more than a hundred cars came to a halt simultaneously, their horns blaring uncontrollably in the dead of night. The cause was not just a malfunction, but unauthorized access by a former employee. To avenge his dismissal, he used inside knowledge and the passwords of his colleagues to break into the system and stop customers' cars one after another. People lost their means of commuting, were unable to protect their jobs, and the police rushed to the chaos.

This incident was more than just a local problem; it showed the world "the shadow side of the IoT society. While the innovation of integrating Internet connectivity into vehicle control promised convenience and efficiency, it also invited a new threat: the disruption of the fabric of life through unauthorized intrusion. The sound of horns echoing in the darkened streets was an ominous warning bell symbolizing the arrival of risk in the cyber age.