SAFETY & SECURITY
“The reality is that buses and trains are
really computers on wheels. That means
there is an exposure to cyberattack.”
-POLLY HANSON, director of security risk
and emergency management, APTA
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38 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | NOVEMBER 2018
pointed out. “Th e reality is that buses
and trains are really computers
on wheels. Th at means there is an
exposure to cyberattack.”
Th at exposure exists in the
form of online ticketing and fare
collection, for example, where systems
could be vulnerable to hackers.
Operations technology for
things like signaling,
train control
and access control
is also vulnerable,
as are surveillance
systems. “We just
held a session at
our annual meeting
in Nashville on
big data and how it
can help an agency
drive effi ciencies,”
Hanson said. “But
big data also creates
an additional
exposure and must
be protected.”
APTA has a
group focused on
developing cybersecurity
standards
for the transit industry. A second
group is focused on enterprise
risk management. “Th ese groups
are in the process of developing
recommended practices as well as
updating existing ones,” Hanson
points out.
Homeland Security
Th e 17th anniversary of 9/11 was
just commemorated a couple of
months ago. Hanson cautions
that even though ISIS has lost territory
in the Middle East, and that
Al-Qaeda doesn’t receive the media
attention it once did, these terrorist
groups have not disappeared.
“Th ese groups are now advocating
for terrorist acts that are
easier to commit,” Hanson said.
“Th ese acts may not be as sophisticated
as 9/11 was, but someone
who is radicalized online and has
a van or knife can carry out an
attack. We’ve already seen this
demonstrated in New York, as
well as places in Europe such as
Paris, Barcelona and Stockholm.
In many ways it is easier to carry
out an attack today.”
It’s not just the major U.S. cities
either. Terrorists see public transportation
as an attractive target
due to its inherent pedestrian
traffi c. “Th at’s why we had Brian
Michael Jenkins (terrorism expert)
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