Also, over the weekend, hackers took control of the audio-enabled traffic control crosswalk buttons in Silicon Valley. This incident raised quite a hubbub in Menlo Park, Palo Alto and Redwood City. The buttons were designed to assist people with visual impairments or other accessibility issues, providing tailored audio messages. They began, without warning, to pump in AI-generated speech to imitate the voices of notable tech leaders such as Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk.
The event apparently took place on Friday. Palo Alto Online was the first to report the hack, showing off some of the bizarre content being transmitted through the crosswalk buttons. The messages included laughable and ridiculous statements including, “It’s totally natural to feel threatened or unconceivably offended as we violently shove AI up every one of your waking moments,” allegedly written by Zuckerberg. One such message included Musk lamenting, “F—k, I’m so f—king alone.”
In a statement, officials in neighboring Redwood City acknowledged that they’re still vigorously pursuing the case. A high-ranking city official underlined the seriousness of their commitment, saying, “We’re committed to getting ahead of this. The safety of our community is our number one priority.” Deviant Ollam, a physical penetration specialist and security researcher, points out the major security issues related to crosswalk button spoofing. His major insights highlight the importance of developing our practices to do this better. He said that these kinds of hacks usually take advantage of default-set passwords, which people never bothered to change.
As it turns out, across the United States, audio-enabled crosswalk buttons may be more prevalent than you think. They provide critical auditory cues for all pedestrians—particularly those who lack full vision. This incident revealed weaknesses in the cybersecurity infrastructure protecting their facilities. The company that manufactures these devices, Polara, has not responded to multiple requests for comment about this breach.
As the investigations roll on, officials are reminding agencies to invest in technology that protects their most vulnerable residents. This hack is a painful reminder that as technology changes and develops, the protocols meant to safeguard it need to change with it.
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