The government recently warned that hidden cellular radios have been discovered in foreign-made equipment
- American highway infrastructure could be equipped with hidden communications technology.
- A recent advisory warned about radios installed in solar-powered equipment such as traffic signs.
- It’s unclear why they have radios, but they could be used as a kill switch or for spying purposes.
The United States is under constant attack from foreign adversaries, but most of this is done in the shadows. Every now and then, however, a warning surfaces that pulls these risks into public view. A new advisory from federal officials has done just that, pointing to a possible act of technological aggression hidden in plain sight.
According to Reuters, the Federal Highway Administration recently warned stakeholders to check solar-powered equipment for “rogue devices.” The publication says this includes everything from traffic signs and cameras to weather stations, which could be equipped with hidden radios installed in batteries or inverters.
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The advisory specifically mentioned undocumented cellular radios have been discovered “in certain foreign-manufactured power inverters and BMS [battery management systems].” The note didn’t say where these components were made, but much of this equipment is built in China.
Silent Vulnerabilities
It’s unclear why the components would have hidden radios, but the warning reportedly mentioned risks that included data theft and simultaneous outages. This means they could be used in a variety of different ways including spying on Americans and collecting data about traffic volumes.
While that’s not exactly the stuff of spy thrillers, there could be a more sinister angle. As the government alluded too, the devices could have a kill switch. These could be used to wipeout highway infrastructure during a full-fledged attack on the United States. This could cause chaos and congestion, clogging up highways in the event of hostilities.
Searching for signals
There are more questions than answers at this point, but the government suggested authorities use spectrum analysis technology to scan highway infrastructure for “unexpected communications.” If any are found, they suggested disabling or removing any radios found during the inspection.
More: Your Car Is Spying On You, From Your Personal Life To How Fast You Go
When the publication asked the Chinese Embassy for comment, they said the country was opposed to the “distortion and smear of China’s achievements in the field of energy infrastructure.”
#SolarPowered #Highway #Tech #Spying #Americans
