Electronic road signs in Texas have been targeted by hackers with messages against presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
Signs on Interstate 30 were changed over recent weeks to read "Donald Trump is a shape shifting lizard," "Hillary for prison," and "Free Barrett Brown." A group of hackers called New World Hackers, who have previously targeted the website of Trump, claimed responsibility.
"As we stated earlier in the past… Trump is a little bitch," a member of the group tells Newsweek. "Hillary is worse. Barrett Brown is a legend. Hillary should be in prison for her actions most definitely."
New World Hackers, who pledge support to the amorphous hacktivist collective Anonymous, claim the TXDOT contractor electronic message boards were an easy target. Under state law, interfering with warning signs can be punished by up to two years in prison.
Other signs altered along the i-30 included the message "Gorilla deserved it," in reference to the gorilla that was recently killed at the Cincinnati Zoo after a child fell into the animal's enclosure.
"Yes, the gorilla deserved it," the hacker says. "Who wants to see a child torn to pieces?"
Hacking one sign after another until July 4th. #NwHackers
— New World Hackers (@NewWorldHacking) June 13, 2016
The hackers say they plan to keep targeting road signs until July 4, on which date they say they plan to focus their attention directly on Clinton. The group did not elaborate on what it intended to do, saying only, "We don't plan, it will happen."
"There are thousands of signs in the country that update to what is called a CCZRC (Central Common Zone Reverse Circuit), or at least that's what hackers call it," one of the members tells Newsweek.
"All we needed to do is have a frequency tool and hijack the board just by driving 100 kilometers by it. After the frequency was active, we were in. After the message was done uploading, we had all of the ongoing/outgoing/incoming information from the board and pretty much took over.
"It's true, boards can be hacked by someone just driving past. No cameras, just a car driving past. Nothing to expect."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Anthony Cuthbertson is a staff writer at Newsweek, based in London.
Anthony's awards include Digital Writer of the Year (Online ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
