Hackers struck Iowa-based breathalyzer tech company Intoxalock on Mar. 14, launching a cyberattack that crippled the company’s systems for eight full days. Impacted motorists waited anxiously until Sunday, Mar. 22 at 5:30 p.m. before full restoration was finally announced.
During that time, roughly 150,000 drivers across 46 states suddenly could not start their vehicles because their ignition interlock breathalyzers lost connection to the servers. The outage left cars stranded in driveways, parking lots and repair shops.
Customers in Maine, New York, Minnesota and Connecticut reported missing work, losing income and scrambling for rides in areas with limited public transit.
Officials confirmed the cybersecurity incident on their website and through recorded customer messages. They stressed that no customer data was compromised and no ransom demands became public.
Once work resumed, the company extended its support hours, granted 10-day service extensions for calibrations in eligible states and promised to reimburse towing and other direct costs caused by the disruption.
Intoxalock has manufactured car breathalyzers for more than 30 years. The firm, headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, equips vehicles for people convicted of driving under the influence.
Drivers blow into the device before starting the engine. If breath alcohol exceeds the state limit, usually 0.02 or higher, the car refuses to start. These devices require periodic calibrations that connect to Intoxalock servers every few months.
Intoxalock officials expressed regret for the inconvenience and pledged full support for every impacted driver.
What began as a niche safety tool in the 1980s has grown enormously. Today, every U.S. state has an ignition interlock program and hundreds of thousands of devices are in use. They are credited with cutting the tendency among DUI convicts to re-offend by 50 to 70 per cent while installed.
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