Student hacked Taiwan high-speed rail to trigger emergency brakes

A 23-year-old Taiwanese university student was arrested after using software-defined radio (SDR) equipment and handheld radios to intercept and decode TETRA communication parameters used by Taiwan's high-speed rail network (THSR). On April 5, he transmitted a spoofed high-priority 'General Alarm' signal that triggered emergency braking on four trains, halting them for 48 minutes. The TETRA system had been in use for 19 years without rotating its parameters, allowing the attacker to bypass seven verification layers. An accomplice provided critical network parameters. Police traced the attack via CCTV and network logs, seizing 11 radios, an SDR, and a laptop. Lin now faces up to 10 years in prison under Taiwan's Criminal Law, while his lawyer claims the signal transmission was accidental.