Muni Diaries

Two security specialists have developed an Android app that could hack the paper Limited Use fare cards for a free Muni ride, SFGate reports. But this seems a bit ho-hum because the app is (of course) not available to the public, and the hack doesn’t work on Clipper cards, only the paper Limited Use fare cards, which only holds one or two free rides. Seems like quite a lot of work to save $2. And if you can afford an Android phone, you should probably pay for your bus ride, no?

Nevertheless, the security specialists, Corey Benninger and Max Sobell from the Intrepidus Group, have alerted the SFMTA as well as New Jersey’s PATH system, both transit systems that could be vulnerable to this kind of hack.

From SFGate:

Intrepidus staffers met with Muni and Path officials last year to notify them of the potential for abuse. The firm also presented the information at a security conference in Europe last week.

“We had hoped this would be fixed on both systems before we released this data, but our understanding is that’s not planned for possibly years down the line,” Benninger said.

Since other transit agencies could adopt a similar payment system, they wanted to highlight the security issues.

A limited version of Intrepidus’ app is available to transit agencies that want to test whether their smart cards are vulnerable. But it doesn’t have the capability to change or reset the cards’ data, Benninger said.

The SFMTA told SFGate that they have not noticed any discernible change in the use of paper Limited Use fare cards. A fix for the security hole could be costly, but one option could be to reduce the 90-day life of these types of tickets to discourage hacking, SFGate reports.

 

Have you seen the two winners of the 100 Days, 100 Muni Stories contest on the bus today?

Earlier this summer, we hosted a “100 Days, 100 Muni Stories” contest to celebrate Muni’s centennial. The prize for your awesome Muni tales? Your own spotlight on the bus! We looked through all the entries past and present, including submissions and tweets, and recruited Isaac Fitzgerald, the managing editor of The Rumpus, as the guest judge.

Our “100 Days, 100 Muni Stories” winners are @scenechangego and @jeannabarrett, and you can see their tweets on buses starting this week!

In case you are new to Muni Diaries, we are just three blog nerds chained to our laptops in our living rooms, making a website for stories that happen on the bus. That is, we are an independent website and not affiliated with the SFMTA. So we were as surprised and excited as anyone can be when the SFMTA said we can have some ad space on the bus to feature your best stories and tweets!

Here’s Jeanna’s winning tweet:

Muni Diaries is your space to share stories, tweets, and photos that happen on public transit, so thank you to everyone who submitted to the contest and the site. Let’s blow up the party talk some more!

Muni Diaries “100 Days, 100 Muni Stories” graphic design is by Lisa Wong Jackson. Check her out at Good on Paper.

Honey, if you really love me you would buy me a ball gag made from a mooncake, because this is what’s happening this weekend in your weekend transit advisory:

Chinatown Autumn Moon Festival
The 22nd annual Chinatown Autumn Moon Festival will take place on Saturday and Sunday between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. each day. For event details, please visit www.moonfestival.org

The following Muni routes will be affected:

10 Townsend
12 Folsom-Pacific
1 California

Roadworks Street Fair

On Saturday the 9th Annual Roadworks presented by the San Francisco Center for the Books will take place from noon to 5 p.m. on Rhode Island Street between 16th and 17th streets. For event details, please visit sfcb.org/events/roadworks.

The following Muni routes will be affected

10 Townsend
19 Polk

Cole Valley Fair

On Sunday the 10th Cole Valley Fair will take place. For more details, please visit www.bazaarbizarre.org

The following Muni lines and routes will be affected

N Judah
6 Parnassus
37 Corbett
43 Masonic

Folsom Street Fair

On Sunday the Folsom Street Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The following Muni routes will be affected:

9 San Bruno
12 Folsom-Pacific
19 Polk
47 Van Ness