Zombies in Texas.

Resourceful hackers have succeeded, two electronically controlled traffic billboards in Austin, Texas, umzuprogrammieren - they warned against zombies instead of building sites. After the punishing Lacher, began to think: The case demonstrates the dangers of networked infrastructures.

 

Two temporary signs reprogrammed caused "significant traffic problems" on a small road in Austin, Texas. The disabilities were established because of the many drivers in the iron went up, stopped and drove at a snail's pace in order to photograph these things. Instead of the usual warnings on a construction site showed the electronic displays five different warnings about zombies, approaching Nazi zombies ( "Rennt!"), Which was also approaching the end and make a good piece of advice: "flees in warmer climes!"

AP / Chris Nakashima-Brown
No hack, if it is exactly besieht: The messages to mobile traffic displays are easy to change if they are inadequately protected

Both the city of Austin as well as the construction company, which include signs, saw Complaints from: You've finally humor in Texas. The hackers, as the media called him the signs reprogrammed, will not have to fear that his investigators to move Pelle.

And certainly it is questionable whether the hacker really Scherzkeks qualities needed for the electronic signs umzuprogrammieren. Because after the punishing Lacher, began the analysis - and quickly found IT professionals and journalists learned that as good as everyone would have this little trick you can perform: Supposedly, there is hardly a building contractor, the default password of the default display panels changed.

Is also logical: The builder knows everyone and can be the message of the display panel to change, without having to contact someone to have to ensure the necessary password. Everything we do, in order to the streets of Austin to Beware of zombies to warn was a plastic cover on the back of the screen to open a default password (for manufacturers to choose something like "0000" or "9999 "etc.) and a new message einzutippen. In this case, although it was another, but also probably has no problem: A simple Google search is enough to find it when you display the type known.

Perhaps a small change in the educational message Scherzkeks conclude the password, so that technicians of the display manufacturer for help had to be called to the warning signs once again of "Zombie" to "construction site" in abeyance. That was really unnecessary, because the instructions to the system reset is to be found on the web.

Not safe

Now the public has started brooding about what a potential risk of such a program, but inadequately protected systems if they are not for jokes, but would maliciously reprogrammed. Whole cities were targeted traffic diversions into chaos.

Especially since it is not only mobile electronic displays for traffic management, but more and more networked systems. Many of those who speculated on Friday on the IT security specialist technician Adam O'Donnell in an article at ZDnet, were installed before the security people, by the awareness of the Internet boom, the need for increased password security discovered. They could therefore be similarly easy to crack.

In their wild fantasies about cyber-terrorism security politicians speculated in recent years with fondness about scenarios like hacks into the networks of water companies or power plants. The truth can be seen with far profane goals a whole lot cause chaos in Australia was in 2001 for example, a frustrated Jobbewerber succeeded in the control system of sewage follicle.

He opened sewage-locks, the multi-million liters of broth on streets, rivers and parks Hotel dismissed. The revenge of the rejected candidates stank as unintended, but demonstrative warning before the weaknesses of so-called critical infrastructure to heaven. What is the hack into a regional traffic control system could cause a big city, you will hardly imagine. The discussion after the zombie gag from Austin started again.