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January 16, 2023 1:01 am  #1


When Hackers Take Over Live TV Signals

It's happened more often than you might think - someone cutting off a licenced broadcast television signal for some nefarious message of their own.

I knew about two of these - the infamous HBO anti-scrambling message happened back in the days when I had my C-Band satellite dish. For some "Captain Midnight" was acclaimed a hero. And then there's the infamous WGN-TV Chicago outage, with a very bizarre and almost inexplicable "message" - if that's the right word - from someone with a Max Headroom face mask. The bare-bottomed spanking at the end only made it weirder. 

You can see these and several others at the link below. I'm not sure if any Canadian TV stations have ever been hacked on air. But I would hope security measures are in place so that they never are. 

When TV Or Radio Stations Get Hacked

 

January 16, 2023 9:52 am  #2


Re: When Hackers Take Over Live TV Signals

I don't know if it has ever happened in Canada, but I do remember one time several years ago when there was a strike at the CBC, Knowlton Nash's National was interrupted by strikers smearing Vaseline on the camera lens.  After a few minutes of dark, Uncle Knowltie returned.
 

 

January 16, 2023 10:06 am  #3


Re: When Hackers Take Over Live TV Signals

I have a very dim memory of a NABET strike at the CBC. I recall watching Hockey Night In Canada on a Saturday night, when the action suddenly got replaced by a camera focusing on a sign that said "NABET on strike against the CBC" or something similar. There was no audio, just that sign.

I'm not sure how long it stayed up there, or what they went to afterwards, but I don't think the hockey game ever came back that night. 

Still, that's not quite the same as an unknown person taking over the airwaves illegally to spread their message or pull a prank. Some of the video examples in that linked piece are downright creepy. 

     Thread Starter
 

January 16, 2023 11:04 am  #4


Re: When Hackers Take Over Live TV Signals

A good fictional example of this was portrayed in the Showcase series Mr. Robot , the show that made Rami Malek a star, when the hacker group fsociety would interrupt broadcast networks with an anti government message. 

 

January 16, 2023 1:01 pm  #5


Re: When Hackers Take Over Live TV Signals

RadioActive wrote:

I have a very dim memory of a NABET strike at the CBC. I recall watching Hockey Night In Canada on a Saturday night, when the action suddenly got replaced by a camera focusing on a sign that said "NABET on strike against the CBC" or something similar. There was no audio, just that sign.

I'm not sure how long it stayed up there, or what they went to afterwards, but I don't think the hockey game ever came back that night. 

Still, that's not quite the same as an unknown person taking over the airwaves illegally to spread their message or pull a prank. Some of the video examples in that linked piece are downright creepy. 

There was also the NHL playoff game where the CBC was struck on air by a NABET walkout of the the technical crew.  I think it was during the second period of the particular game... I'm think this was the late 80s ???...

During the game the main play camera just panned up to the crowd / rafters on the other side of the arena. Announcer mics were left hot on the board, and the switcher just left the main play camera online...  The entire crew just walked out.  No graphics, no replays, no stingers/bumps to from commercials (can't even remember if they had commercial after this anyway). 

At one point, CBC had something in the order of eleven or twelve different unions or craft guilds.  If one union was out they all went out... 

 

January 16, 2023 5:09 pm  #6


Re: When Hackers Take Over Live TV Signals

RadioActive wrote:

It's happened more often than you might think - someone cutting off a licenced broadcast television signal for some nefarious message of their own.

I knew about two of these - the infamous HBO anti-scrambling message happened back in the days when I had my C-Band satellite dish. For some "Captain Midnight" was acclaimed a hero. And then there's the infamous WGN-TV Chicago outage, with a very bizarre and almost inexplicable "message" - if that's the right word - from someone with a Max Headroom face mask. The bare-bottomed spanking at the end only made it weirder. 

You can see these and several others at the link below. I'm not sure if any Canadian TV stations have ever been hacked on air. But I would hope security measures are in place so that they never are. 

When TV Or Radio Stations Get Hacked

The Chicago one actually impacted both WGN-TV and PBS outlet WTTW. The WGN intrusion was a very brief one during sports on their 9:00pm newscast; the one with a bare-bottomed Max Headroom happened later that night during Dr. Who on WTTW.

 

January 16, 2023 6:00 pm  #7


Re: When Hackers Take Over Live TV Signals

Yes, I recall that now. And as the article notes, no one was ever held to account or charged for what happened. And they never did figure out the who or the why, but they obviously knew what they were doing.

Not quite the perfect crime, but close to it. It happened during a broadcast of Dr. Who on WTTW. Personally, I suspect either The Master or the Daleks.

     Thread Starter