Hackers send cabs to same location in Russia; creates huge traffic jam [here’s why]

In a bizarre incident, hackers broke into the ride-hailing service provider Yandex Taxi’s software and sent dozens of cars to the same location, resulting in a traffic jam that lasted for three hours.

Dozens of drivers working for Yandex Taxi in Moscow were left clueless when the screen showed them the exact location to reach.

According to cyber experts, the hackers bypassed Yandex’s security and generated several fake requests that directed drivers to simultaneously drive to the same location.

The hacker sent all the cabs to Kutuzovsky Prospekt, a major avenue in Moscow that is the location for the ‘Hotel Ukraina’ or Hotel Ukraine, reports Cyber News.

The action could be against Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

While it was not clear who was responsible for the Yandex Taxi hack, the Twitter page of Anonymous TV claimed that the hacking group Anonymous was behind the data breach.

“Moscow had a stressful day. The largest taxi service in Russia ‘Yandex Taxi’ was hacked by the Anonymous collective. A traffic jam took place in the center of Moscow when dozens of taxis were sent by the hackers to the address on Kutuzovsky Prospekt,” Anonymous TV tweeted late on Friday.

The Anonymous collective is part of a large-scale hacking campaign against Russia, called ‘OpRussia’.

Yandex Taxi is operated by Russia’s largest IT corporation Yandex. Yandex is the equivalent of the Russian Google.

(With inputs from IANS)