Security News > 2022 > December > Big Apple locals hire Russians to game New York's taxi system

Two men have been charged for allegedly conspiring with Russian hackers to manipulate the taxi dispatch system at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Daniel Abayev, 48, and Peter Leyman, 48, are accused of altering the JFK taxi dispatch system to advance selected taxis to the front of the taxi queue in exchange for a $10 payment, according to a federal indictment [PDF] made public on Tuesday.

Abayev and Leyman allegedly tried various techniques to hack the taxi dispatch system, including bribing someone to insert a flash drive containing malware into computers connected to the netowrk, or accessing the dispatch system's Wi-Fi network without authorization, and stealing tablet computers connected to the dispatch system.

The court filing indicates that between November 2019 and November 2020, Abayev and Leyman used unauthorized access to manipulate the dispatch system and move specific taxis to the front of the line.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission was unable to meet our deadline but suggested a comment might follow later - The Register will update this story if so.

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