Zombie Warning Turned Off
Colchester, Vermont - May 4, 2009
A construction sign that warned of swine flu and a zombie invasion has been fixed.
Over the weekend, perpetrators hacked into the construction sign's computer system and changed the road work caution to a warning about zombies and swine flu. It advised motorists on Route 7 in Colchester to turn back. The hackers protected the hoax message with a password so police were unable to turn it off.
Monday, the construction company turned the sign around so oncoming traffic couldn't see it. The company that owns the sign has a master password and was able to overwrite the zombie message.
The Agency of Transportation says it is advising construction companies to come up with better passwords and to lock the computer boxes and take the key. Apparently in this case, a key was left behind at the site.
Police say the hackers could face charges including making a false report.
