A hack that affects a small number of internet-connected cars could completely gridlock Manhattan, according to a study from researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology and Multiscale Systems, Inc. The research was published in the journal Physical Review E.
The paper found that randomly stalling 20% of cars during rush hour would stop traffic in Manhattan. Even a hack that affects 10% of cars at rush hour would create enough blockages to stop emergency vehicles from getting through traffic.
The research suggests cities "split up the digital network influencing the cars to make it impossible to access too many cars through one network."
