Emergency Alert System devices vulnerable to hacker attacks, researchers say

CIO:     IDG News Service — Devices used by many radio and TV stations to broadcast emergency messages as part of the U.S. Emergency Alert System (EAS) contain critical vulnerabilities that expose them to remote hacker attacks, according to researchers from security consultancy firm IOActive.

The EAS is a national public warning system that can be used by the president or local and state authorities to deliver emergency information to the general public. This information is transmitted by broadcasters, cable television systems, wireless cable systems, satellite digital audio radio service (SDARS) providers, and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) providers.

Read article