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Thread: Texas Hacker hacks road sign. Warns of zombie infestation

  1. #1
    Senior Member boogieman's Avatar
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    Texas Hacker hacks road sign. Warns of zombie infestation


    Transportation officials in Texas are scrambling to prevent hackers from changing messages on digital road signs after one sign in Austin was altered to read, "Zombies Ahead."

    Chris Lippincott, director of media relations for the Texas Department of Transportation, confirmed that a portable traffic sign at Lamar Boulevard and West 15th Street, near the University of Texas at Austin, was hacked into during the early hours of Jan. 19.

    "It was clever, kind of cute, but not what it was intended for," said Lippincott, who saw the sign during his morning commute. "Those signs are deployed for a reason — to improve traffic conditions, let folks know there's a road closure."

    "It's sort of amusing, but not at all helpful," he told FOXNews.com.

    Tampering with portable road signs is illegal and potentially dangerous to drivers. It is a misdemeanor in Texas, with penalties ranging from fines to potential jail time.

    Lippincott said the hacked sign — manufactured by IMAGO — is owned and operated by the city of Austin. Texas Department of Transportation signs have not been affected, he said.

    "It is always possible that it could occur, but we attempt to prevent hacking incidents," Lippincott wrote in an e-mail. He declined to comment on security measures to protect the state's signs from hackers.

    Austin Public Works spokeswoman Sara Hartley said the incident was not initially reported to police, but will be shortly. The sign was reverted back to its original message within hours, according to Hartley, who insisted the signs are tamper-resistant and equipped with external locks.

    "This sign was broken into, it was not just a 'walk up and change the sign' kind of thing," Hartley told FOXNews.com. "This is a new one for us, we've never had it happen before."

    She said she did not know whether any other signs in the area had been altered.

    According to the blog i-hacked.com, some commercial road signs, including those manufactured by IMAGO's ADDCO division, can be easily altered because their instrument panels are frequently left unlocked and their default passwords are not changed.

    "Programming is as simple as scrolling down the menu selection," i-hacked.com reports. "Type whatever you want to display … In all likelihood, the crew will not have changed [the password]."

    I-hacked.com warns readers not to try to alter the signs, which cost roughly $15,000.

    ADDCO Chief Operating Officer Brian Nicholson told FOXNews.com that the company is sending out notices to customers on the potentially dangerous security flaw.

    "It's incumbent upon users to change the default password and secure the sign with a padlock," Nicholson said. "We're having our engineers review this information."

    In the meantime, if you're driving in Austin, you can rest assured: There are no zombies ahead.
    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,484326,00.html

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoCrqkQfJ5E


    :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

    I never knew how easy it was to "hack" those signs.

  2. #2
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    Re: Texas Hacker hacks road sign. Warns of zombie infestation

    hahahahha seriously I am going to do this one day
    Boringgggggggggggggggg.

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    Senior Member Circe's Avatar
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    Re: Texas Hacker hacks road sign. Warns of zombie infestation

    Ha ha ha ha! That is too funny!

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    Senior Member LostSouls's Avatar
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    Re: Texas Hacker hacks road sign. Warns of zombie infestation

    nom nom brains..  Funny prank.  I am thankful that nobody freaked out and caused an accident though.  Never know what phobia's somebody has.
    I'm not crazy, my reality is just different than yours.

    There's too much blood in my caffeine system.

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    Senior Member Feetprints's Avatar
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    Re: Texas Hacker hacks road sign. Warns of zombie infestation

    haxorz r funneh.
    Quote Originally Posted by Ron_NYC View Post
    SMH. White people! Always trying to help and shit.

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    Senior Member boogieman's Avatar
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    Re: Texas Hacker hacks road sign. Warns of zombie infestation

    Now someone in Indiana did it.

    CARMEL, Ind. -- Someone apparently hacked into an electronic road sign in Hamilton County Monday morning, prompting stares and giggles from motorists because of the message the sign displayed.

    The sign, which read "Raptors Ahead Caution," amused motorists in a construction zone on Keystone Avenue, just north of 116th Street.

    "It's kind of crazy. I'm totally confused," said one motorist. "I'm kind of expecting … dinosaurs to run down the road, or something."

    Another puzzled motorist said, "Which raptors?" before adding that he hadn't seen the sign.

    Carmel spokeswoman Nancy Heck said the signs on Keystone Avenue are owned by a contractor, Highway Technologies, which is responsible for programming signs in the Keystone Avenue construction zone.

    The odd road sign in Indiana came days after a widely publicized highway road sign message near the University of Texas that warned motorists "Caution! Zombies Ahead!" and "Nazi Zombies! Run!!!"

    Both incidents occurred within weeks of various articles appearing online with descriptions of how to hack into the road signs, while pointing out that such an act is illegal.
    http://www.theindychannel.com/news/18620871/detail.html#-


    :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

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    Senior Member brie's Avatar
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    Re: Texas Hacker hacks road sign. Warns of zombie infestation

    that is amazing.
    Quote Originally Posted by marakisses
    yes i said i will leave it under you storage he said cuddle with me i said shut up it over??? what am i doing wrong??

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    I'm not very nice. Karalicious's Avatar
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    Re: Texas Hacker hacks road sign. Warns of zombie infestation

    I saw this on the news at the gym and I was seriously cracking up. People there probably thought I was way weird :lol: but that is so awesome.
    "Since change is constant, you wonder if people crave death because it's the only way they can get anything really finished." -Chuck Palahniuk

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    Amy's taste > Tara's

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    Senior Member boogieman's Avatar
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    Re: Texas Hacker hacks road sign. Warns of zombie infestation

    Indiana has another one:
    KSDK -- Drivers in the Metro East were warned about zombies during their Tuesday morning commute.

    This happened on 1-255 Southbound just south of the Pontoon Beach exit. Someone changed IDOT's sign to read "DAILY LANE CLOSURES DUE TO ZOMBIES."

    IDOT believes someone hacked the sign's computer remotely. While crewmembers were still on the scene after fixing the message, the display changed back to the hoax.

    "We've talked to the company that supplies these and they have a patch out there they've applied to the program to fix the problem," said Joe Gasaway with the Illinois Department of Transportation.

    Just last week, drivers in Austin, TX were warned about "Nazi zombies, run!" and "The end is near." Pranksters there cut the padlock on the sign and changed the message.
    http://www.ksdk.com/news/watercooler/story.aspx?storyid=166427&catid=7

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    Senior Member LostSouls's Avatar
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    Re: Texas Hacker hacks road sign. Warns of zombie infestation

    Signs Signs everywhere there are signs.  This thread makes me want to sing that song.  Those Damn zombies taking over the world. :lol:
    I'm not crazy, my reality is just different than yours.

    There's too much blood in my caffeine system.

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    Senior Member boogieman's Avatar
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    Re: Texas Hacker hacks road sign. Warns of zombie infestation

    Jalopnik.com  told people "not" to hack one and make it say "Jalopnik rulez, Zombies Droolz"... And someone in bellevue washington has now done it.

    http://jalopnik.com/5146080/jalopnik+hacked-road-sign-were-all-going-to-jail-now


    :lol: :lol: It's now an epidemic. hahaha.

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    Re: Texas Hacker hacks road sign. Warns of zombie infestation

    :lol: :lol:  but why is this only a misdemeanor?
    You remember me as Sheilamadrie......Add me as a friend on myspace so you can talk shit about me on my page when I die..

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    Senior Member boogieman's Avatar
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    Re: Texas Hacker hacks road sign. Warns of zombie infestation

    Another one in texas:

    LUBBOCK, Texas – A hacked electronic highway sign in Lubbock carried an international message not seen much in centuries on this side of the pond. The sign Friday briefly flashed: "OMG The British R coming. They R watching you." KCBD-TV reported the electronic sign was in a construction area in southwest Lubbock.

    The Texas Department of Transportation said the mobile sign belongs to a contractor.

    A statement from Austin Bridge & Road says someone "with a questionable sense of humor" accessed the password on the message board.

    The company said its portable sign that was hacked has since been removed, since a permanent exit sign has now been installed, and locks have been added to the portable version.

    No word yet on the culprits.

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    Re: Texas Hacker hacks road sign. Warns of zombie infestation

    LOL... I love it.

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    Re: Texas Hacker hacks road sign. Warns of zombie infestation

    [quote author=brie star link=topic=18397.msg1172715#msg1172715 date=1233656077]
    that is amazing.
    [/quote]

    That was exactly what I said when I saw this. I wish I could take a picture next to it!
    Try to realize it&#39;s all within yourself. No one else can make you change. And to see you&#39;re really only very small. And life flows on within you and without you.<br /><br />--George Harrison--

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    Senior Member boogieman's Avatar
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    Re: Texas Hacker hacks road sign. Warns of zombie infestation

    Had to bump this back up because someone just did one here in portland (And It wasn't me!...Even though i did think about doing it)


    PORTLAND, Ore. -- It's happened across the country -- traffic signs getting hijacked by computer hackers, and now it's happened in Portland.

    A contractor’s traffic sign on the Powell just east of the Ross Island Bridge overnight Wednesday read “Caution zombie strippers.&quot;

    The sign had been switched off by Thursday morning.
    http://www.kgw.com/news-local/stories/kgw_073009_news_zombie_stripper_sign.8fb9f188.html



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    Lionfish Whisperer PCP777's Avatar
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    Re: Texas Hacker hacks road sign. Warns of zombie infestation

    [quote author=boogieman link=topic=18397.msg1168256#msg1168256 date=1233229123]
    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,484326,00.html

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoCrqkQfJ5E


    :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

    I never knew how easy it was to &quot;hack&quot; those signs.
    [/quote]


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