Russia hackers attacked again. This time they targeted a Russian taxi app. Hundreds of drivers were sent to the same address in Moscow at the same time, and cars blocked the main street in the city center.
Video: Aktuálně.cz / Reuters
On Thursday morning, hackers attacked the Russian application Yandex Taxi, which works on a principle similar to the Uber application. It allows people to order taxis to a specific location using their mobile phones.
Yandex Taxi confirmed the hacker attack. “On the morning of September 1, Yandex Taxi faced an attempt by attackers to disrupt the service. Dozens of drivers received collective orders to the Fili district of Moscow,” the company said in a statement to the Russian magazine Forbes.
As a result of the pirate attack, taxis flooded the city of Kutuzovsky Prospekt in Moscow, the main road running from east to west through the city center. The road, which consists of eight to ten lanes, is rarely crowded.
Yandex Taxi said its security department immediately blocked attempts to falsify taxi reservations. But it wasn’t enough to stop the constipation. The taxi company said, “Drivers still spend about 40 minutes in traffic due to false orders. We will solve the compensation issue in the near future.”
