Key Points
- The FCC warned radio stations about hackers hijacking signals.
- Attackers played fake emergency alert tones and obscenities.
- The breaches targeted unsecured Barix audio equipment. Stations in Texas and Virginia were confirmed victims.
- Broadcasters were urged to change default passwords immediately.
Hackers are hijacking radio station equipment across the United States to play fake emergency alarms and offensive audio. On Wednesday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a public warning to broadcasters after a wave of these cyberattacks disrupted local airwaves.
The intruders are doing more than just interrupting music. They are triggering the official Emergency Alert System (EAS) tones. This is the loud, jarring screech usually reserved for tornado warnings, hurricanes, or Amber alerts. Once the hackers grab the listener’s attention with the siren, they switch the feed to broadcast obscene language and other inappropriate content instead of the station’s regular programming.
According to the FCC, the problem stems from a specific piece of hardware made by the Swiss company Barix. These devices help send audio over the internet. Investigators found that the hackers did not use advanced coding to break in. Instead, they likely searched for devices that still used factory default passwords or lacked recent security updates. Once inside, the attackers reconfigured the machines to pull audio from their own malicious sources rather than the station’s studio.
Recent reports confirm that radio stations in Texas and Virginia have already fallen victim to these attacks. In those cases, the hijacked streams broadcast bigoted slurs and fake warnings. The FCC is urging all radio engineers to check their systems immediately. The fix is often simple: change the default password and put the equipment behind a firewall.
Barix has not yet commented on this specific wave of attacks. However, this is not the first time their gear has been targeted. During a similar incident in 2016, the company stated that its devices are safe, but only if users set them up correctly with strong passwords.
The FCC warns that these stunts are dangerous because they undermine public trust in the emergency alert system. If people get used to hearing fake alarms, they might ignore a real one when a disaster actually strikes.
