Make TBO Your Home Page| Subscribe To The Paper| Advertise With Us| Contact Us| Login| Edit Profile| Register
TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online
Email
Print
Hackers' Road Sign Pranks Worry Highway Officials
AP photo provided by Chris Nakashima-Brown
An electronic sign intended to warn motorists of construction near the intersection of Lamar and Martin Luther King boulevards In Austin, Texas, was changed Jan. 26 by hackers.
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: February 4, 2009
COLLINSVILLE, Ill. - Hackers are messing with electronic road signs in some states, warning of zombies and raptors down the road. Traffic safety officials aren't amused.
The latest breach came during Tuesday morning's rush hour near Collinsville, Ill., east of St. Louis.
That's where hackers changed a sign along southbound Interstate 255 to read, "DAILY LANE CLOSURES DUE TO ZOMBIES."
Similar pranks have been pulled in recent days near Indianapolis and in Austin, Texas.
The Illinois Department of Transportation's Joe Gasaway worries that such pranks distract drivers from legitimate hazards down the road, perhaps endangering road crews.
In Illinois, tampering with an official traffic control device is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $250 fine.
Email
Print
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement
TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online ©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC. A Media General company. Member Agreement | Privacy Statement | Work With Us
