The FCC is telling all EAS participants they’re required to take immediate action to secure their EAS encoders/decoders.
That includes resetting passwords and ensuring CAP EAS equipment is secured “behind properly configured firewalls,” according to an announcement released last night in the wake of several hacking incidents under investigation by federal authorities.
The agency tells radio and television stations as well as cable operators to change all the passwords on their CAP EAS equipment from factory default settings, including administrator and user accounts, ensure their firewall solutions are properly configured and up-to-date. If a station is unable to change the default password, it should consider disconnecting the Ethernet connection of the device until it can update the password, advises the commission.
The commission is also advising stations to check their EAS equipment to make sure no unauthorized alerts have been stored for future transmission.
