Two Men Accused of Hacking Into JFK Airport Cab Dispatch System (bloomberg.com) 21
An anonymous reader shares a report: With a flat fee of $70 for trips into Manhattan and a guaranteed stream of passengers, a ride to and from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport is one of the more lucrative journeys for the city's cab drivers. But federal prosecutors say two 48-year-old Queens men found another way to profit from the crowd of taxis waiting long hours for passengers at the airport, conspiring with Russians to hack the dispatch system and allow drivers to cut ahead in line for a $10 payment.
The two men, Daniel Abayev and Peter Leyman, were arrested Tuesday and charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions for hacking into the system from November 2019 to November 2020. Prosecutors said the pair worked with Russian nationals to access the system through various methods, including bribing someone to insert a flash drive into computers that allowed them to enter the system via Wifi and stealing tablets connected to the dispatch operation. They then used their access to move certain taxis to the front of the line for $10 each, allowing drivers to bypass a holding lot that frequently required hours-long waits before they were dispatched to a terminal, and waived the fee for drivers who recruited others, according to prosecutors.
The two men, Daniel Abayev and Peter Leyman, were arrested Tuesday and charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions for hacking into the system from November 2019 to November 2020. Prosecutors said the pair worked with Russian nationals to access the system through various methods, including bribing someone to insert a flash drive into computers that allowed them to enter the system via Wifi and stealing tablets connected to the dispatch operation. They then used their access to move certain taxis to the front of the line for $10 each, allowing drivers to bypass a holding lot that frequently required hours-long waits before they were dispatched to a terminal, and waived the fee for drivers who recruited others, according to prosecutors.
$70 for trips into Manhattan + tip = why cab it? (Score:3)
is uber and lift that high?
is the subway that bad?
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Wow, a FOX ad right here on Slashdot!
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>is uber and lift that high?
Yes. To my home it's usually >$95. Although to be fair most of Manhattan is below $60.
>is the subway that bad?
When it's 1AM things are a bit different. Everything you've read online about the MTA, are true, and are especially true when it's 2AM in the morning.
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To keep the change (small coins) from the amount handed over.
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in soviet russia we dispatch you! (Score:2, Offtopic)
in soviet russia we dispatch you!
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You can't kill humor, it's immortal. It will be always there, laughing, smirking at you. You hide from it as anonymous coward, but it cares not, and laughs and smirks at you anyway.
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Well, unless Putin can organise another hilarious Ukraine famine.
russia russia russia (Score:2, Interesting)
No opportunity to blame Russia can be passed up eh - even if it's individuals and nothing to do with the Russian government.
Does the US media think every American is an idiot or just the majority??
Boy i miss concise, accurate, impartial reportage.
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Boy i miss concise, accurate, impartial reportage.
Boy, I miss when /. had members that had reading comprehension. Where exactly did it say the Russian government was involved?
"hours-long waits" (Score:3)
Why would anyone wait for hours? Why not work another job during the quiet hours and come back when there's no wait?
Is it because the fares are so extortive that it's worth doing nothing for hours while you wait for a customer?
A very inefficient system (Score:4, Interesting)
making taxi drivers wait hours for a fair, coupled with people going out of their way to find alternatives for the exorbitant fare. Who is benefiting from this?
Re:A very inefficient system (Score:4, Interesting)
It's the same way in Chicago and Philly. Cabbies wait hours for fares at the airport (yes, those routes are extremely financially lucrative) and customers wait almost an hour in line for cabs, which are dispatched inexplicably slowly. The real question is, who benefits from this intentionally inefficient arrangement? Something tells me the taxi cab dispatchers at the airport are making an even bigger payola hustle on the side. They no doubt didn't appreciate someone muscling in on their exclusive turf.
Better way (Score:2)
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