Security flaws close new road's toll system

**Mr Merde** · 7th January 2009, 07:28

From todays herald online

"Internet security flaws have forced a closedown of website toll payment facilities for the Northern Gateway motorway between Orewa and Puhoi, less than three weeks before its opening date.
After shutting the payment section of the $365 million toll road's website yesterday, the NZ Transport Agency admitted it had done so because of flaws pointed out to the Herald by computer experts......."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=10550744

Problems already.

**Slyer** · 7th January 2009, 07:33

Madness.
Oh whoops we forgot to add security...

**Tank** · 7th January 2009, 08:02

Bit of a stuff up not having a security cert - how the fuck did that get past QA?

Regardless - silly reporting "they dont know if it can be back online by the 25th" - You can tell its government IT.

Sad to see 900 people entered their details without checking to see if it was secure. dipshits.

**Skunk** · 7th January 2009, 08:06

Did they have amateurs coding the site or something?

**Kiwi Graham:Me** · 7th January 2009, 08:12

Who'd of thought, the internet not being secure.
I guess we all get to travel free then eh!

**The Pastor** · 7th January 2009, 08:12

Doesnt say if anyone actually hacked the site or not, hopefully no one did.

**discotex** · 7th January 2009, 08:35

Originally Posted by renegade master

Doesnt say if anyone actually hacked the site or not, hopefully no one did.

Whether or not it has an SSL cert has nothing to do with how hackable it is.

All SSL does is encrypt the communication between your PC and the server so other people can't see your credit card being sent across the internet. Unless they're looking for it and have the right access to that "corner" of the internet it's not major. Kinda like sending a letter with cash in it. Anyone could open it but 99.99% of the time no-one would bother.

It's no biggie really but shows someone's total lack of understanding of ecommerce. PCI compliance checks should have picked that up.

**Slyer** · 7th January 2009, 08:56

With the way they media use it, hacker has become a very generic term for internet criminal.

**TOTO** · 7th January 2009, 10:11

Herald is blooady making a story out of something that could have been fitted into four sentences.

trying to kill a fly with an elephant gun. They are idiots sometimes.

**ManDownUnder** · 7th January 2009, 10:22

Originally Posted by Skunk

Did they have amateurs coding the site or something?

Don't think of them as inexperienced - think of them as working to a well defined budget.... peanuts... monkeys?

**ManDownUnder** · 7th January 2009, 10:29

FFS it's a PR boon just itching to happen.

Something along the lines of
"We dropped the ball so we're doing opening the road free of charge to all traffic on the agreed date. No billing will be done for those that have already paid, and large signs will be erected giving motorists plenty of warning when the tolling system is expected to come back online.

We encourage the motoring public to make the most of this situation and use the facility free of charge until we can correct our oversight."

Problem? My arse!

**NodMan:Me** · 7th January 2009, 11:44

Its going to be free for bikes anyway so why would their computer glitches affect KBers?

Im starting to think that the old winding road thru Waiwera might just drag me off SH16 once all the cagers go play in the tunnel, have to wait and see how many cagers go pay their $2 I guess

**Mr Merde** · 7th January 2009, 13:10

Originally Posted by NodMan

Its going to be free for bikes anyway so why would their computer glitches affect KBers?

.......

There are very few bike riders in this country who solely ride bikes, in my experience. Therefore it follows that quite a number of them drive cars. Therefore this information is pertinant to them, if for some reason they find them selves travelling north of Auckland.

Its only recently that they have decided that bikes were not going to be charged. Until then we were on the same rate as a cage. This could still happen, companies, government departments and local bodies are notorious for changing their collective minds over things.

This is not a put down but instead a valid response to your question.