University student indicted for hacking Taiwan high-speed rail radio, causing false emergency alarm

The Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office indicted a university student, surnamed Lin, for illegally accessing the Taiwan High Speed Rail’s TETRA digital radio network and issuing a false “General Alarm” signal at 11:23 pm on April 5. The bogus alert automatically triggered the control system to order emergency braking on three passenger trains and one non-service train, causing a total delay of 48 minutes. Following a railway police report on April 13, investigators searched three locations tied to Lin and seized the radio equipment and related devices.

A second individual, surnamed Chen, was also indicted for supplying the radio and system parameters, though prosecutors found no proof he knew Lin intended to transmit the alarm. Lin is charged under the Railway Act for exploiting a critical communications vulnerability, while Chen faces a Criminal Code charge for aiding access. Authorities said Lin acted out of curiosity about radio technology, but his actions disrupted railway operations and affected passengers’ rights.