Lately we've had some experiences in our area with hacking of construction message boards. At first, I figured it must have been some programmers who figured out how to get into the computer system. But after seeing another report of it today, I searched for "how to hack a highway message board" and found there are numerous sites with the instructions telling people how to do this. And it seems fairly simple – I didn't want to promote how here, but you certainly can search for yourself to see what I mean. It also seems like it has been going on for years. So I have to question why our industry has not addressed this. We are so concerned over traffic safety and reducing injuries and deaths, but we must have no provisions or penalties for not ensuring these boards are secure. If our industry cannot even manage to secure a simple message board, how can we possibly hope to ensure critical infrastructure systems like water, electric, and sewer plants are protected?
Photo from David Jackmanson
