As more and more of the basic systems that are relied on all around the world become networked and move to wireless technology, more are subject to possible hacking if they aren't well secured. A German professor thinks that one such system that is often overlooked include rail systems that move people and cargo around countries all around the world.
 
According to a professor named Stefan Katzenbeisser from the Technische Universität Darmstadt in Germany, the switching systems that control what track trains move onto are subject to hacking. The switches are moving to wireless connectivity and according to the professor a simply denial of service attack could crash the switches.
 
Attacks on the switches could cause long disruptions to rail services. That could leave large numbers of commuters stranded and could disrupt cargo deliveries for long periods.
 
"Trains could not crash, but service could be disrupted for quite some time," Katzenbeisser told Reuters. He also said, "Probably we will be safe on that side in coming years. The main problem I see is a process of changing ... keys. This will be a big issue in the future, how to manage these keys safely."
 
These software security keys allow the communications between the trains and the switches to be easily decrypted and allow for secure communications. Currently the keys are simply put onto flash drives and sent around to the trains making them easy to intercept by nefarious entities.