Hackers just played porn on a US highway billboard
What's the story
In a hilarious, albeit equally dangerous, incident, hackers played porn on a digital billboard placed on the side of an American highway. They took over the control room of the billboard a few days ago and played the X-rated movie to divert the attention of drivers on the road. Here's what went down.
Incident
Billboard's computer compromised to play porn
We have seen billboard crimes before, but this particular case was directly aimed at drawing the attention of drivers moving along I-75 North between University Drive and highway M-59 in Auburn Hills. According to Michigan's Auburn Hills Police Department, the culprits, two young men, somehow managed to break into the building under the billboard and hack its computer to play the pornographic video.
Action
Video was taken down after 20 minutes
The video started an hour before midnight and ran for about 20 minutes before being taken down by the sign's owner, Triple Communications. However, during that window, several drivers moving on I-75 witnessed the pornographic clip and shared the incident on Twitter, describing how amusing and surprising it was to see something like that on the billboard. Luckily, no one was injured while watching.
Quote
Here's what the police department said about it
"Officers arrived on scene and witnessed the video being displayed at that time," Auburn Hill PD said in a statement. "We were able to contact an emergency contact for the private business, which operates the sign, and they were able to shut down the sign."
Details
Suspects still remain at large
The men suspected of breaking into the control room and running the porn film still remain at large, according to the authorities. However, if caught, they are likely to face a penalty of 90 days in jail, and/or a fine of $500 for promoting pornography, and potential burglary charges for breaking in without the permission of the billboard's owner.