Hackers infiltrate digital billboard to display pornography in Brisbane

Goa – Brisbane’s broadcast roadside digital billboard network, which runs more than 70 digital billboards around south-east Queensland – has been hit by a cyberattack after hackers displayed pornography on one of its billboards that sits along one of Brisbane’s busiest roads.

The out-of-home company said the billboard on Milton Road “began to show inappropriate content of a pornographic nature” on Sunday, and has provided police with images of people who “may be able to help with their inquiries”.

Credit: Reddit.

The transmission of this material ran for between a number of seconds and up to three and a half minutes. Within minutes of the breach occurring, the company’s IT techs began an immediate shutdown and investigation.

“No other screen in our network was affected in any way; all continue to operate as scheduled,” the company said in a statement. “Apart from this one-off incident, the rest of our internal transmission systems, including security systems, were not breached in any way.

“The police have been informed and are treating it as a serious matter,” the company said. “We retain video recordings which include imagery of individuals that may assist police in their investigations”.

A spokesperson from Goa told Mumbrella: “As a family‐owned business that has operated in Brisbane for in excess of 50 years, no manner or format of pornography is acceptable. It is totally inconsistent with our company values and within the community in which we operate.

“The public transmission or proliferation of any material of a pornographic nature is abhorrent to Goa and all of our people. We regret the offence or distress that this may have caused to members of the public who evidenced this transmission.

“We are particularly conscious that this may have included children and adolescents.”

A crisis meeting involving senior management and relevant staff began immediately after the company became aware of this breach and is focused on security across our entire network. Further security measures began to be implemented last night.

The company said all other screens have been reconfirmed to be physically intact. Further, all monitoring equipment of each site is working to expectations.