The US emergency warning system has gaps, hackers have revealed after interfering with local television stations, which broadcast messages about an impending zombie invasion.
Last Monday, unknown perpetrators hacked into the system of the KRTV television station in Great Falls, Montana, and broadcast a terrifying but fortunately false message about zombies rising from the graves and attacking the living.
The same thing happened at other stations in Michigan, California, Tennessee and New Mexico.
The prank could have been just fun if it hadn't revealed a more serious problem and security vulnerabilities in the machines that, in the event of an emergency, would receive the relevant signal and interrupt the normal flow of the breaking news program.
Devices in many cases use the codes recorded in the manuals while other vulnerabilities allow hackers easy access to them.
The government, through the FCC, the (tele)communications regulatory body, advised stations to change their codes, an immediate but not very effective measure, given the problems with the system.
Participation in the Emergency Alert System is mandatory for all terrestrial and satellite television stations. The system is used to alert citizens in cases of emergencies by broadcasting messages from the US President.
