Leading cyber security expert Peter Simm has delivered a memorable warning to the intelligent transport sector using a fictional roadside unit called “Bob” to underline the importance of cyber security.

Speaking at the annual at ITS UK’s Parliamentary Reception, sponsored by IoT telecommunications company Mobius Networks, the company’s Strategic Business Manager abandoned the traditional policy speech format in favour of a story designed to illustrate the vulnerabilities facing connected roadside infrastructure.

The tale centred on “Bob”, a roadside unit connected to a variable message sign, Bluetooth counter and red-light camera, communicating regularly with “the Cloud”. Although Bob had been given a strong password, he remained connected directly to the public internet.

In Simm’s story, a malicious actor successfully gained access using Bob’s password, then accessed thousands of similar devices and deployed software that effectively rendered the network unusable through a large-scale cyber attack.

The fictional attack ultimately led to the collapse of the wider project, leaving both Bob and the maintenance engineer who cared for him out of work.

“The moral of the story,” Mr Simm concluded, “is if you have devices on the open internet that allow strangers to walk by and just test their password, think: why are we on the open internet?”

He argued that, at a minimum, roadside infrastructure should operate on private networks rather than being directly exposed online, providing an additional layer of protection beyond passwords alone.

The speech followed a similar cyber security appeal Mr Simm said he had made at last year’s event.

His message comes as the ITS sector increasingly deploys connected roadside equipment and prepares for future technologies including connected and automated vehicles, placing greater emphasis on securing digital infrastructure against growing cyber threats.

(File picture – Yay Images)