A cyberattack on a vehicle breathalyzer company leaves drivers stranded across the United States

A cyberattack on a US company for vehicle breathalyzers has left drivers across the US stranded and unable to start their cars.

The company, Intoxalock, says on its website that it is “currently facing a period of downtime” following a March 14 cyberattack. Intoxalock sells breathalyzers that can be installed in car ignition switches and are used by people who are required to provide a negative breath alcohol sample to start their car.

Rachel Larson, a spokeswoman for Intoxalock, confirmed to TechCrunch that the company had been subjected to a cyberattack. Larson said the company has taken steps to “temporarily shut down some of our systems as a precaution.”

These breathalyzers need to be calibrated every few months or so, but the cyberattack left Intoxalock unable to perform this calibration. The company said customers whose devices require calibration may experience delays in starting their vehicles.

Drivers posting on Reddit say cars are unable to start if they miss a calibration, effectively preventing drivers from getting out of their cars.

According to local news reports across Maine, drivers are struggling with shutdowns and some have been unable to start their cars. An auto shop in Middleboro told WCVB 5 in Boston that it had cars parked in its lot all week due to the cyberattack.

News reports from across the United States show that drivers were affected from New York to Minnesota, and drivers were unable to drive because the breathalyzers in their cars could not be calibrated instantly.

Intoxalock did not say what type of cyber attack it had been subjected to, such as ransomware, whether there had been a data breach, or whether it had received any communications from the hackers, including any ransom demands. The company’s technology is used in 46 states, its website says, and it claims to serve 150,000 drivers each year.

Intoxalock did not provide an estimated timeline for its restoration.