Leakers$ claims billboard hacks exposed weak content systems

Digital billboards in Egypt, Malaysia and Brazil displayed explicit footage after attackers accessed software used to manage and send content to LED screens. On 29 October, footage appeared on a large billboard beside a major Egyptian highway, with the attackers’ aliases and a Telegram channel address overlaid. Egypt’s authorities said the billboard operator’s website had been compromised, leading to unauthorised footage appearing in several countries at once.

The group Leakers$ claimed responsibility and said it had targeted the content-transmission software rather than hacking each billboard individually. A representative told The Cairo Report that automated scanning found thousands of exposed systems in roughly two hours, citing a vulnerability in the software and weaknesses in web pages and interfaces used to manage it. Those details remain the group’s account. Leakers$ also claimed access to systems in Iraq and China, but those claims were less firmly corroborated.

The Out of Home Advertising Association of America’s guidelines recommend avoiding default or reused passwords, restricting access to management services, enabling multifactor authentication and protecting remote connections with a VPN. Other measures listed include updating signage software, controllers and network equipment, reviewing supplier access, and monitoring systems.