Hackers Crack Into Texas Road Sign, Warn of Zombies Ahead

[desflood]

Hackers Crack Into Texas Road Sign, Warn of Zombies Ahead
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
By Joshua Rhett Miller

Texas Dept. of Transportation officials confirm a portable traffic sign at Lamar Boulevard and West 15th Street in Austin was hacked into last week.
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.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,484326,00.html

I don't care who you are, that's funny right there.

[CubanMustGo]

Gotta admit, that would explain the appearance/aroma of some of the 'homeless' up here on the street corners.

[Taco]

http://www.foxnews.com/images/497121/0_61_zombies_320.jpg

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/image.php?u=14&dateline=1140137295http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=14

[desflood]

Thanks, Taco. I was too lazy to do that.

[Taco]

Thanks, Taco. I was too lazy to do that.

:tu
:toast

[Zombie.]

:lol

[fatsack]

Call of Duty players, no doubt.

[FreeMason]

That's awesome.

[jman3000]

:lol that's pretty great.

[MiamiHeat]

hilarious :)

[PakiDan]

One more sign of the impending Zombie Apocolypse. It's coming....

[samikeyp]

I don't care who you are, that's funny right there.

:tu

[balli]

Awesome. And just a misdemeanor? It would be totally worth getting busted for.

[PM5K]

So now the question is:

If you could hack a road sign, and whatever you posted would be all over the news, what would you have the sign say?

I like Zombies Ahead, but I might have picked something else... I'd be tempted to put:

All your base are belong to us

But it wouldn't fit...

[phyzik]

So now the question is:

If you could hack a road sign, and whatever you posted would be all over the news, what would you have the sign say?

I like Zombies Ahead, but I might have picked something else... I'd be tempted to put:

All your base are belong to us

But it wouldn't fit...

Id put:

HURRY
UP

or

DRIVE
FASTER

[Frenzy]

So now the question is:

If you could hack a road sign, and whatever you posted would be all over the news, what would you have the sign say?

I like Zombies Ahead, but I might have picked something else... I'd be tempted to put:

All your base are belong to us

But it wouldn't fit...
"accidents coming soon"

[PM5K]

The end is the funniest part:


In the meantime, if you're driving in Austin, you can rest assured: There are no zombies ahead.

[phyzik]

How about:

SPEED LIMIT
90 MPH

[ClingingMars]

"all your base are belong to us"

"you have no chance to survive make your time"

-Mars

[braeden0613]

I love how news agencies think this is "hacking" when all you do is basically just take the back cover off and type the message in. The best one was the sign that said SPEED LIMIT 200 GO GO GO!!

[Dex]

:lmao :lmao :lmao

[Summers]

:lol

[The Reckoning]

it was probably referring to the politicians at the capital


i'd put:
Detour Happy Trail

[exstatic]

ZOMBIE
IN BACK
SEAT

[DPG21920]

"The only dead end on this road is your life"

[spursfan09]

Damn it! So I turned back for nothing?

[samikeyp]

:lol

[Taco]

I remember hearing a story a few years back of a flashing sign, "Alternate Lane's closed" "Construction date ...." "Workers ahead"........... "Happy Birthday Old Fart"

The workers had wrote this for a co-worker and had it set up in the yard, they forgot to take it off and it cycled with all the other messages :lol

[ATRAIN]

Man thats awesome I wish I would have seen that.

[Fpoonsie]

"the Cake Is A Lie"

[Condemned 2 HelLA]

In the meantime, if you're driving in Austin, you can rest assured: There are no zombies ahead.

This just reeks of government cover-up.

[ATRAIN]

This just reeks of government cover-up.

Yeah im going to look for these here zombies.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

This just reeks of government cover-up.

:lol Nice.

[ShoogarBear]

Zombies Ahead! isn't nearly as bad as Zombies Behind!

[lurker23]

Here is the story from KXAN (Austin TV station):

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/Road_signs_warn_of_zombies

Apparently other things that the signs read included:

"Zombies ahead! Run for your lives!"

"Caution! Zombies Ahead! Run for Cold Climates! The End is Near!"

and

"Zombies in area! Run Nazi Zombies! Run!!!"

[Taco]

Here is the story from KXAN (Austin TV station):

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/Road_signs_warn_of_zombies

Apparently other things that the signs read included:

"Zombies ahead! Run for your lives!"

"Caution! Zombies Ahead! Run for Cold Climates! The End is Near!"

and

"Zombies in area! Run Nazi Zombies! Run!!!"

So that's the real reason Manny and Jekka moved up north :lol



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTzfXYF6BPg&feature=channel

[Taco]

http://www.kwtx.com/offbeatnews/headlines/39226677.html



Hackers Change Another Texas Highway Sign Message




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ALUBBOCK (February 6, 2009)--Thanks to hackers, motorists in Austin have been warned that traffic delays are possible because of zombies, and Friday a sign along another Texas highway issued a warning more appropriate to the 18th Century.

The sign Friday in Lubbock briefly flashed: "OMG The British R coming. They R watching you."

The electronic sign was in a construction area in southwest Lubbock and the Texas Department of Transportation said it 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 the portable sign that was hacked has since been removed, because a permanent exit sign has now been installed, and locks have been added to the portable version.

[Avitus1]

Thats funny lol!

[The Reckoning]

leave it to lubbock to mess up a good joke