Digital billboards are vulnerable, hackers just proved it

Published November 2, 2026 17:21

Aset Smagulov

Aset Smagulov

LifeStyle Journalist a.smagulov@kursiv.media
Tanat Kozhmanov

Tanat Kozhmanov

Senior Editor t.kozhmanov@kursiv.media
Хакеры включили порно на рекламных баннерах в нескольких странах
Photo: Shutterstock, photo editor: Adelina Mamedova

Motorists and pedestrians on busy streets in Egypt, Malaysia and Brazil were caught by surprise when digital billboards suddenly began displaying adult content in broad daylight. A group known as «Leakers$» later claimed responsibility. The hackers said gaining access to the advertising networks was surprisingly easy and required little technical expertise.

One of the most notable incidents occurred in Giza, Egypt, where an explicit video appeared on a massive LED screen near a highway. Some drivers reportedly pulled over to record the scene on their phones. In Malaysia, several screens were hacked in Kluang, while in Campo Maior, Brazil, an adult video appeared on a roadside advertising screen. Similar incidents were reported in Iraq and China.

According to the hacker group, the systems controlling the advertising screens had virtually no effective security measures, making the attacks relatively easy to carry out.

The group said the attacks aimed to expose what it described as negligence by advertising companies in securing digital billboards installed in crowded public areas.

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