Watch Out Rick Grimes (and Anonymous), This May Be the Coolest Hack Ever

February 13, 2013
By: Allison Boccamazzo

Rick Grimes and his team of survivors on the AMC hit “The Walking Dead” are known for their ruthless ways of exterminating the world overrun by the undead, or what they call “Walkers,” after a classic zombie apocalypse hits.

Sure, they’ve gotten some pretty good hacks in (pun definitely intended), with weaponry ranging from a Katana sword, to a crossbow to a good old ax, but a group of individuals from Montana have seemed to technologically trump them with news of a recent TV hacking the day after season three returned for its second half Sunday, February 10.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve become absolutely obsessed with the show over the course of its last two and a half seasons, sometimes to the point of vicariously living through the characters or their crazy plots. It makes you wonder, “What would I do if I was thrown into a zombie apocalypse?”


Above, Rick Grimes and his team fighting off zombies in the show,
courtesy of AMCTV.com

Well for the viewers of one Montana TV station, this was no longer a question but a reality, as midway into an episode of “The Steve Wilkos Show,” the station was interrupted in an emergency warning relaying the following message:

Civil authorities in your area have reported that the bodies of the undead are rising from their graves and attacking the living. Follow the messages on screen that will be updated as information becomes available. Do not attempt to approach or apprehend these bodies, as they are considered extremely dangerous.

Listen to yourself in the video below.

I won’t lie and say this isn’t possibly the coolest form of hacking ever (but of course, that’s just me). So far, it’s being reported that at least four individuals are involved in the hoax, which led the local Montana television station, KRTV, to promptly relay an apologetic message.

What may be even crazier is that reportedly, this grave message (yes, pun intended) got four people to call the authorities to check its validity.

Fun and games aside though, this scheme could have easily taken a horrible turn if it were to relay a message of truly believable strain or concern, which only calls for greater security and protection against hackers and their strengthening abilities.

 In more recent news regarding one of history’s most infamous hackers, the Anonymous Group, the Swedish government was targeted for launching a raid against an Internet company that had been supporting the illegal file sharing website, Pirate Bay, according to TMCnet last October.

In a video supporting their claims, one member of the hacking group explained, “We see this as a crime against freedom of information.”

Anonymous also last year broke into websites of various law enforcement agencies around the world, which allowed the hackers to steal confidential data. Police departments in Boston, Syracuse, New York, Salt Lake City and Greece reported being hacked, which apparently all stemmed from the groups’ anger at the Boston police arresting protestors during the Occupy Wall Street protests that had happened over the previous few months.

In a grim message, the group even added that, “there is plenty more mayhem to deliver,” which it sure proved over the course of 2012.

Hopefully, increased action will be taken to prevent hacking from interrupting and potentially threatening the operations of many – regardless of the hacker’s intentions.




Edited by Braden Becker


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