Danger, Zombies Ahead: Programmable road signs get hacked
What do you get when you combine a public broadcasting medium, simple data entry and a student from MIT? You get things like the road safety sign above, which was probably a caution for altered driving conditions, but now warns of the living dead.
We suppose that state Department of Transportation never figured there would be enough bored engineering students to get around to tampering with the signs. That might be why the signs aren't protected by any substantial security measures – changing a sign only requires the ability to type. But before any state decides to spend a few million investigating this fissure in homeland security, a portable, proprietary keyboard would be a good, cheap place to start. And not that we should really have to say this, but we will anyway: please, don't play with the road signs. Hat tip to reader Michael
[Source: CNET]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
HotRodzNKustoms 3:47PM (1/28/2009)
The laughs keep on coming today.
Wish I would have thought of this one!
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James 3:57PM (1/28/2009)
lmao!!!
BRAINS!!!!
3seriesisking 4:26PM (1/28/2009)
Zombies!!!!
Randy 9:23PM (1/28/2009)
Thank God there wasn't an Amber alert!
Josh 2:00PM (1/29/2009)
I love Austin TX
ryan 3:48PM (1/28/2009)
oldie but a goodie. saw this on gizmodo a few weeks ago. worth a read, for sure.
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Talisman 3:51PM (1/28/2009)
Hilarious
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Erik 3:54PM (1/28/2009)
HAAAAA!!!! That's awesome!
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Alex 3:54PM (1/28/2009)
I always thought that this would be a hilarious idea but i just assumed that they had some sort of security to prevent this like a key or something.
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1970Dodge 4:51PM (1/28/2009)
They do.
But if I remember there was a "reset password" button on the controller, so if a road worker forgets the password, it will reset (to I think the serial# on the machine).
Donson 3:56PM (1/28/2009)
Best hack was the flashing stop/hammertime one
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BoxerFanatic 4:11PM (1/28/2009)
I don't know about you guys, but I'm goin' down to The Winchester pub.
And dogs CAN look up. :D
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MemphisNET 4:15PM (1/28/2009)
Sorry...
...no, sorry :)
Mitchel 4:18PM (1/28/2009)
Got a bit of red on you?
moyoi 5:45PM (1/28/2009)
What an awesome movie!
Enok 4:14PM (1/28/2009)
A construction site here in Woburn, MA had a sign that said "Thank you for your patients." That was no hack job. It was illiteracy.
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ajkl 4:27PM (1/28/2009)
In MA, I've also seen "ROAD WORC AHEAD" and "LFET LANE CLOSED" on these electronics signs and they stayed up for quite a few days.
Enok 4:32PM (1/28/2009)
For years (and still to this day), on theToyota navigation system, if you change the view to a split-screen, a message comes on about "changing it's settings," when no apostrophe is needed.
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Jim 4:52PM (1/28/2009)
This type of prank endangers public safety! It is no less dangerous than removing stop signs at intersections! These people need to be arrested and charged. If someone dies, they need to go to prison for murder.
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Coolio 4:55PM (1/28/2009)
Jim,
Much as I hate to say it, you're right. It seems funny, it IS funny, but it IS dangerous.