A new hacking incident in electronic billboards has been reported by information security specialists. Last Thursday, during the maintenance of an interactive display in Kalmar, Sweden, an unknown user infiltrated the systems that control the screen to display images of a pornographic site.
According to international media, Karl-Johan Bodell, regional director of public transportation company KLT, mentioned that a bus operator reported the incident to his bosses. In turn, the company notified the local authorities.
The display, located at Kalmar Central Station in southeastern Sweden, was soon deactivated by the local government’s information security team, who announced that the device will remain off until the authorities conclude the investigation incident.
Although an official stance on the incident has not yet been revealed, local media immediately began raising the possibility of a cyberattack, although this still needs to be confirmed by the company or local investigative agencies. On the other hand, Bodell commented: “the possibility of hacking is the main explanation for this incident”.
The transport company specified that the screens placed at the stations are operated by a third party, which will be in charge of the investigation of the incident and, in collaboration with local authorities, will implement security measures to prevent similar attacks in the future.
Similar information security incidents have recently been reported in multiple locations. A couple of weeks ago, an electronic traffic signal was hacked in Kentucky, US, to show drivers inappropriate messages. The signal was deactivated shortly after receiving the report.
According to the International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS), the main reason these incidents occur so frequently is because these traffic signals, billboards and so on, are operated by third-party companies that are not care about implementing the necessary controls to prevent access to these systems. Access to these devices is usually obtained locally, so it is only required for the carelessness of authorized personnel for hackers to take control of a screen and transmit the content they want, whether threatening messages, jokes or even pornographic content.
He is a well-known expert in mobile security and malware analysis. He studied Computer Science at NYU and started working as a cyber security analyst in 2003. He is actively working as an anti-malware expert. He also worked for security companies like Kaspersky Lab. His everyday job includes researching about new malware and cyber security incidents. Also he has deep level of knowledge in mobile security and mobile vulnerabilities.
