Risk: Informational
A Canadian train's LED message board system was recently hacked, to the embarrassment of Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. Instead of displaying the name of the next station, it read 'Stephen Harper eats babies'. No photos seem to have been captured of the message, but Exclusive Advertising, which operates the LED boards, has confirmed that the message was not authorised by Exclusive Advertising or the train's operator, GO Trains. Exclusive Advertising subsequently issued a press release, but interestingly, seemed to be more concerned with catching those responsible, rather than denying the comment!
The press release read: "Exclusive Advertising has received reports of an LED message being displayed on the trains stating that "STEPHEN HARPER EATS BABIES". We would like to take this opportunity to advise the public that these ads are the result of a hacker who has unlawfully tampered with the LED sign boards displayed in the GO Trains. This message was in no way authorized by Exclusive Advertising or GO Transit, and is not condoned. We have taken measures to rectify this matter and are in the processing [sic] of enhancing security in an effort to eliminate tampering of the LED displays. We would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to bring this matter to our attention and would ask that anyone with information on the person(s) responsible for this malicious act, to contact us immediately so that we can pursue legal action. We sincerely apologize for this unfortunate situation and thank everyone for their patience while the matter is resolved."