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Laid Off Worker Remotely Disables Over 100 Cars

by Amar Toor on March 18, 2010 at 11:00 AM

When Omar Ramos-Lopez was laid off from his job at Texas Auto Center last month, he decided to send his former employer a message... about 100 times. It turns out that Ramos-Lopez not only had an intimate knowledge of cars, but knew his way around computers, as well -- and, in particular, around his company's online vehicle-immobilization system.

With the help of a former colleague's log-in information, the newly unemployed Ramos-Lopez logged on to Webtech Plus, a network that allows the Austin based Texas Auto Center employees to remotely disable (or set off horns on) cars that haven't been paid for. Once he gained access to the system, Ramos-Lopez began running down the entire database of clients, in alphabetical order, routinely disabling their cars, setting off their horns, and vandalizing their stored records. After customers began pouring into Texas Auto Center with complaints, managers got suspicious, and decided to change the passwords for all employees. The rash of mysterious breakdowns subsided, and police soon traced the hacker's IP address to Ramos-Lopez, who was slapped with computer intrusion charges on Tuesday.

While the system won't disable a car's ignition while it's running, it definitely serves as a not-so-friendly reminder for the owner to pay up. As Wired reports, this passive-aggressive form of a payment reminder has been met with controversy ever since it was introduced about a decade ago. Many argue that disabling a car unnecessarily humiliates customers who might be strapped for cash, or, at the very worst, may leave drivers stranded in times of emergency. Others, though, see it as an informal way to extend credit to those who may not be able to qualify for a loan otherwise.

Call us softies, but all of this seems a bit too much like mafioso-style bullying for our comfort. Having your car repossessed may be about as pleasurable as having a root canal, but at least you know your car's gone, and don't have to live your life in fear of an invisible enforcer. And, as Ramos-Lopez proved, there's always the possibility that the power falls into vengeful hands, and pandemonium erupts. After all the havoc wreaked by a rogue employee, perhaps Texas Auto Center and others will start reconsidering their covert means of coercion. [From: Wired]

Tags: cars, disgruntled employee, DisgruntledEmployee, hacker, remote disabling, RemoteDisabling, top

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