Hackers post public service message on Liverpool One’s screen
On May 29, hackers had taken control over a large digital billboard outside a Liverpool city centre leisure complex and posted a message for shoppers in the area. The hackers opted quite an attractive way to demonstrate an unsecured network and urged to improve security. "We suggest you improve your security. Sincerely, your friendly neighbourhood hackers," a message on the screen read, according to a photo first uploaded to Reddit. A similar picture was posted on Twitter by a visitor to the shopping centre. The message was tagged "#JFT96" - an abbreviation of "Justice for the 96", which is a reference to the 96 football fans who died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. Liverpool One said that it closed down the screen as soon as it was notified about the incident but before being closed down the venue’s screen rose to prominence on social media. The photo could not be confirmed by an official. “Our screens are operated by an external company which is currently investigating the matter,” said a spokeswoman of Liverpool One. A reverse image search on both Google and TinEye returned no relevant results, suggesting that the photo is new. The website of Elonex, the manufacturer of the billboard, does list Liverpool One as a customer. “We can confirm an incident occurred over the weekend on one of the 18 screens we operate at Liverpool One,” a spokesman for Elonex said. No other screen in the shopping centre was affected. A spokesperson for the Merseyside Police said they had not been informed of the alleged incident.