WINCHESTER, Ind. � Poor cybersecurity practices has made yet another radio station a news subject.�
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WZZY(FM)�s firewall was breached, according toWTHR, and its unnamed��broadcast system� was hacked. Subsequently, the station broadcast fake alerts about a zombie attack and an outbreak of disease.�
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Several stations owned byRodgers Broadcasting Corp.were also reportedly affected by the hack. Other Rodgers stations include: WFMG(FM), WIFE(FM), WKBV(AM) and WLPK(AM), but it is unclear, which stations, if any, were affected.
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The timing of the broadcasts is unclear, but the Randolph County Homeland Security and Emergency Management office and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security learned about it last Wednesday.
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Radio reached out to WZZY and to the Indiana Association of Broadcasters for more details but did not receive a response.
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The U.S. House of Representatives also introduced threecybersecurity billsthis week, which if passed, may help to address or prevent these kinds of attacks in the future.
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Broadcasters looking to brush up on their own cybersecurity best practices should add Jeff Welton�s Broadcast Engineering Conference session to their schedules. He will address �Safety and Security at the Transmitter Site� on April 26 from 10:30�11 a.m. Many other cybersecurity sessions will also likely be of interest.
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