Polish Hackers Repaired Trains the Manufacturer Artificially Bricked. Now The Train Company Is Threatening Them
Polish Hackers Repaired Trains the Manufacturer Artificially Bricked. Now The Train Company Is Threatening Them
After breaking trains simply because an independent repair shop had worked on them, NEWAG is now demanding that trains fixed by hackers be removed from service.
In one of the coolest and more outrageous repair stories in quite some time, three white-hat hackers helped a regional rail company in southwest Poland unbrick a train that had been artificially rendered inoperable by the train’s manufacturer after an independent maintenance company worked on it. The train’s manufacturer is now threatening to sue the hackers who were hired by the independent repair company to fix it.
After breaking trains simply because an independent repair shop had worked on them, NEWAG is now demanding that trains fixed by hackers be removed from service.
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Every time I read about this kerfuffle, I am astounded by the sheer stupidity of the manufacturer. Even if they may be technically in the right here(I don't know, since the contracts they have with the operator aren't public), they effectively shoot themselves in the foot with this PR Desaster. Especially the various national rail operators across Europe will think twice about buying NEWAG, since these operators usually have their own maintenance and repair centers, and expect to service their rolling stock there. And those national operators still make up the lion's share of the European rail market.
This aint much of a problem. NEWAG operates almost exclusively on the internal market
I sure hope that they become a political talking point where the government loses votes if they contract with them again.