Maine Drivers Affected By Cyber Threat Against Ignition Systems

Intoxalock company officials say their systems were not victims of a cyber attack, but were paused in response to a threat.

Cyber Attacks Can Have a Huge Impact on Our Everyday Lives

We often take for granted how easily a cyber attack could affect our lives.

Whether it's phishing scams that steal our identities or ransomware that locks up our company's operating systems, our everyday lives can be greatly inconvenienced by anonymous hackers with unknown intentions.

However, what we reported was a cyber attack on a company called Intoxalock was actually a pause in some of their ignition interlock services, while they protected their systems from a threat.

Nationwide Cyber Threat Affects Drivers with Ignition Interlock Systems

According to the Intoxalock website, these systems are basically breathalyzers that are attached to a vehicle.

A person with a conviction for operating under the influence of alcohol can potentially continue to drive if they have these devices installed on their vehicles.

Basically, the driver blows into the device, which records their blood alcohol content. If it's within legal limits, the device unlocks the ignition and allows the driver to start the vehicle.

If the BAC comes up above the legal limit, the device will shut down, and the vehicle's ignition will remain locked.

A recent cyber threat affected that service temporarily, while company officials protected their systems.

Drivers in Maine and Other States Were Affected by a Cyber Threat Against Intoxalock

A company spokesperson for Intoxalock reached out to us to correct our original information, stating that a cyber attack did not shut down the service to their customers.

The company paused their systems briefly to customers who required a calibration beginning on March 14th.

Rachel Larson, Intoxalock Director of Communications said,in a statement:

This group did experience a delay in starting their vehicle, and we have created a solution for this in the vast majority of states, including Maine. We also developed a new system app that was pushed to all of our calibration devices while coordinating with state regulators to provide a temporary solution (10-day service date extension issued on March 18) while we work to resume our systems.

Larson says the employees of Intoxalock are committed to serving their customers and apologize for any inconvenience this incident has caused.

The latest information about this incident can be found on the Intoxalock website.