Highway Pranks

[Assemblage23]

LOL

Funny prank.

[marki]

This was a recent prank on a busy road in Austin, Texas. It was also just broadcast on CNN. Theres also a video of the news story on the KXAN link.

Mark.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/Road_signs_warn_of_zombies
Construction signs warn of zombies
Hackers change public safety message
Last Edited: Thursday, 29 Jan 2009, 5:12 PM CST
Created On: Wednesday, 28 Jan 2009, 8:29 PM CST

Shannon Wolfson
AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin drivers making their morning commute were in for a surprise when two road signs on a busy stretch of road were taken over by hackers. The signs near the intersection of Lamar and Martin Luther King boulevards usually warn drivers about upcoming construction, but Monday morning they warned of "zombies ahead."

"I thought it was pretty funny," said University of Texas sophomore Jane Shin, who saw the signs while driving down Lamar Bouelvard with friends Sunday night. "We wondered who did it."

The City of Austin does not own the signs, but they are responsible for the message. The contractor on the construction project owns the signs. A city spokesperson said the hacked messages were only up for a few hours, until the construction project manager saw them during his morning commute and immediately ordered them to be changed back.

"Even though this may seem amusing to a lot of people, this is really serious, and it is a crime," said Austin Public Works spokesperson Sara Hartley. "And you can be indicted for it, and we want to make sure our traffic on the roadways stays safe."

Hartley said though it was a locked sign, the padlock for it was cut. Signs such as these have a computer inside that is password-protected.

"And so they had to break in and hack into the computer to do it, so they were pretty determined," said Hartley.

This crime is a class C misdemeanor in Texas, and Hartley said it endangers the public.

"The big problem is public safety," said Hartley. "Those signs are out there to help our traffic on the roadway to stay safe and to know what's coming up."

KXAN Austin News cameras caught many drivers slowing down to read the signs as they approached. Some read, "Zombies ahead! Run for your lives!"

Hartley said the city will discuss more secure safety measures with the manufacturer of the signs.

Speculation among the tech-savvy on the Internet is that the signs were inspired by the video game Call of Duty 5, World at War, which is the top game in the country right now and features "nazi zombies," or an upcoming movie about zombies called "Dead Snow" (an official selection at Sundance '09). There are also several online sites that teach people how to break into these construction signs.

Do you believe in zombies? Do you have a zombie escape plan? Let us know what you think about zombies by participating in our message board .

[marki]

Also, there was a less sophisticated prank earlier this month in Wodonga in Victoria, Australia.

Mark.

http://www.bordermail.com.au/news/lo...r/1400549.aspx
Speed sign prank is over
The Border Mail
BRAD WORRALL
6/01/2009 1:00:00 AM

WODONGA Council will today move to put the brakes on a prank that has left motorists in two minds at a well-known speed trap.
The speed sign on the corner of Mayfair and Dundee drives was “modified” late last month to show 60kmh but the road markings still indicate the limit as 50kmh.

Yesterday Wodonga police said the limit was “definitely” 50kmh.

The council said it had not changed the sign.

A closer inspection by The Border Mail showed the fake signage had been glued to the original.

The road, the responsibility of the council, is a major thoroughfare for traffic in West Wodonga.

It was listed as one of the city’s 12 mobile speed camera locations in a list released by Victoria Police in November.

Yesterday council officers inspected the sign.

But they were unable to remove the fake signs.

A council spokeswoman said the sign would be completely removed this morning.

“We will also be looking for where we might be missing a 60kmh speed sign,” she said.

[crieffite@comcast.ne]

Originally Posted by marki

This was a recent prank on a busy road in Austin, Texas. It was also just broadcast on CNN. Theres also a video of the news story on the KXAN link.

Mark.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/Road_signs_warn_of_zombies
Construction signs warn of zombies
Hackers change public safety message
Last Edited: Thursday, 29 Jan 2009, 5:12 PM CST
Created On: Wednesday, 28 Jan 2009, 8:29 PM CST

Shannon Wolfson
AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin drivers making their morning commute were in for a surprise when two road signs on a busy stretch of road were taken over by hackers. The signs near the intersection of Lamar and Martin Luther King boulevards usually warn drivers about upcoming construction, but Monday morning they warned of "zombies ahead."

"I thought it was pretty funny," said University of Texas sophomore Jane Shin, who saw the signs while driving down Lamar Bouelvard with friends Sunday night. "We wondered who did it."

The City of Austin does not own the signs, but they are responsible for the message. The contractor on the construction project owns the signs. A city spokesperson said the hacked messages were only up for a few hours, until the construction project manager saw them during his morning commute and immediately ordered them to be changed back.

"Even though this may seem amusing to a lot of people, this is really serious, and it is a crime," said Austin Public Works spokesperson Sara Hartley. "And you can be indicted for it, and we want to make sure our traffic on the roadways stays safe."

Hartley said though it was a locked sign, the padlock for it was cut. Signs such as these have a computer inside that is password-protected.

"And so they had to break in and hack into the computer to do it, so they were pretty determined," said Hartley.

This crime is a class C misdemeanor in Texas, and Hartley said it endangers the public.

"The big problem is public safety," said Hartley. "Those signs are out there to help our traffic on the roadway to stay safe and to know what's coming up."

KXAN Austin News cameras caught many drivers slowing down to read the signs as they approached. Some read, "Zombies ahead! Run for your lives!"

Hartley said the city will discuss more secure safety measures with the manufacturer of the signs.

Speculation among the tech-savvy on the Internet is that the signs were inspired by the video game Call of Duty 5, World at War, which is the top game in the country right now and features "nazi zombies," or an upcoming movie about zombies called "Dead Snow" (an official selection at Sundance '09). There are also several online sites that teach people how to break into these construction signs.

Do you believe in zombies? Do you have a zombie escape plan? Let us know what you think about zombies by participating in our message board .

what is about officialdom in the USA. Always pompous, always threatening with the "law". Just once could they strike a lighter note? Pompous asses.

[radiant_city]

[Morsue]

Originally Posted by marki

This was a recent prank on a busy road in Austin, Texas. It was also just broadcast on CNN. Theres also a video of the news story on the KXAN link.

Mark.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/Road_signs_warn_of_zombies
Construction signs warn of zombies
Hackers change public safety message
Last Edited: Thursday, 29 Jan 2009, 5:12 PM CST
Created On: Wednesday, 28 Jan 2009, 8:29 PM CST

Shannon Wolfson
AUSTIN (KXAN) - Austin drivers making their morning commute were in for a surprise when two road signs on a busy stretch of road were taken over by hackers. The signs near the intersection of Lamar and Martin Luther King boulevards usually warn drivers about upcoming construction, but Monday morning they warned of "zombies ahead."

"I thought it was pretty funny," said University of Texas sophomore Jane Shin, who saw the signs while driving down Lamar Bouelvard with friends Sunday night. "We wondered who did it."

The City of Austin does not own the signs, but they are responsible for the message. The contractor on the construction project owns the signs. A city spokesperson said the hacked messages were only up for a few hours, until the construction project manager saw them during his morning commute and immediately ordered them to be changed back.

"Even though this may seem amusing to a lot of people, this is really serious, and it is a crime," said Austin Public Works spokesperson Sara Hartley. "And you can be indicted for it, and we want to make sure our traffic on the roadways stays safe."

Hartley said though it was a locked sign, the padlock for it was cut. Signs such as these have a computer inside that is password-protected.

"And so they had to break in and hack into the computer to do it, so they were pretty determined," said Hartley.

This crime is a class C misdemeanor in Texas, and Hartley said it endangers the public.

"The big problem is public safety," said Hartley. "Those signs are out there to help our traffic on the roadway to stay safe and to know what's coming up."

KXAN Austin News cameras caught many drivers slowing down to read the signs as they approached. Some read, "Zombies ahead! Run for your lives!"

Hartley said the city will discuss more secure safety measures with the manufacturer of the signs.

Speculation among the tech-savvy on the Internet is that the signs were inspired by the video game Call of Duty 5, World at War, which is the top game in the country right now and features "nazi zombies," or an upcoming movie about zombies called "Dead Snow" (an official selection at Sundance '09). There are also several online sites that teach people how to break into these construction signs.

Do you believe in zombies? Do you have a zombie escape plan? Let us know what you think about zombies by participating in our message board .

This became a news story in Sweden's largest newspaper. I think the paper, though aspiring to be respectable, is becoming like The Sun. At least there's one American official with a sense of humour.

http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article4303289.ab

"Hacked the road sign - cautions for zombies
...
- We're not going to pursue this issue. I can see the fun side of it and I'm not pressing charges, said the sign owner, according to [ABC News]."

[marki]

Its now happended here on the Gold Coast, Australia.

Mark.

-------------------
'Zombie' copycats hack electronic road signs
http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2009/02/03/45155_gold-coast-news.html
see also: http://www.news.com.au/technology/st...014239,00.html
Ben Dillaway
February 3rd, 2009

DRIVERS had reason to smile or scratch their heads yesterday morning after Main Roads electronic signs had something unusual to say.
Vandals broke into the signs' controls at Runaway Bay and Oxenford and changed the messages about upcoming roadworks to something a little more cheeky.
On Oxley Drive the sign read: 'Nobody has ever loved you,' and 'All your signs are belong to us' (sic).
Along Tamborine-Oxenford Road it was a little more menacing: 'Warning zombies ahead'.
"I had a good laugh," said Adam Hudson, who spotted the signs on the way to the gym.
But Main Roads were not laughing and said the prank had the potential to kill.
"I am appalled by the irresponsibility of this act," said South Coast acting regional director Paul Noonan.

"Traffic management messages are essential to alert motorists of changed traffic conditions and upcoming works," he said.
"By changing the messages these vandals have potentially put the lives of Gold Coast motorists at risk."
The signs were reset about 10am by owners Coates Hire.
But the prank and the messages were not original.
The 'all your signs are belong to us' message comes from an early 2000s flash animation internet phenomenon sparked by the poorly translated opening text of a Japanese video game, while in Texas last month vandals changed road messages to read 'Zombies ahead'.

[Morsue]

Lives at risk? I don't think so. I just think it's funny!

[Robosteve]

Saying that hacking those signs puts lives at risk is like saying lives are at risk on any road that doesn't have those signs.

[zaphod]

I think they are just saying that to get people to stop doing it.

Its one of those jokes that are funny the first time, but will get annoying if sign hacking gets popular.

[deranged]

Agreed. But the line "lives at risk" hurts the credibility of their statement.

(Offtopic: Road safety messages won't be taken seriously if they're perceived as sensationalism. The phrase "tired drivers die!" was used in an attempt to combat a valid problem, but was phrased lazily and ended up sounding laughable rather than sobering. "Every k over is a killer" was one of the worst in that regard, and the campaign was made worse by unreasonable exaggeration of the consequences of low-level speeding.)

Anyway, I've noticed those electronic signs being legally used for advertising, when they're not in use for roadworks purposes. In one example, one phase read "Toyota deals" (or something), and the next phase read "Turn right here".

I don't have a problem with the advertising, but I can understand how some people could find it distracting given that they expect roadworks messages on those particular signs. Having a "turn right here" phase for five seconds is a bit questionable though.

[christos-greece]

Really funny

[Ni3lS]

Yea it is funny, but sad that hackers have acces to these electronic roadsigns..

[FM 2258]

Originally Posted by radiant_city

I love this one.


I've always wanted to do a "raise the speed limit" prank in a neighborhood. On some highways in Texas they use the same small signs for high speed limits as they do on low speed limits. It would be cool to get a Speed Limit 70 sign and paste it over Speed Limit 30 signs throughout the neighborhood.

[Morsue]

Someone once filled in a 30-sign in Stockholm so it became an 80-sign. Problem was that 80 wasn't a legal speed limit in Sweden at the time.

[Timon91]

That happens over here as well. Normally it's not very well done, so you can still see the '30', but when they do it good, there is hardly a difference and it really looks like a normal '80'. Funny, but sad.

[ChrisZwolle]

Most of those VMS'es are probably photoshops.

[Haljackey]

Hehehe...

[Timon91]

I'm surprised that this one hasn't been posted here yet

[ChrisZwolle]

Trying to be funny, but sooo fake.