Hacked electronic sign declares “Putin is a dickhead” as Russian rouble slumps

Someone clearly isn’t very impressed with Vladimir Putin, as the Russian economy continues to tank in the wake of sanctions.

As the ruble plummets below 100/$ today, Russian officials are saying there's nothing to worry about.

But not everyone is convinced: in Surgut, a Siberian oil town, someone hacked this news ticker to say "Putin is a dickhead and a thief. 100₽/$ – you've lost your fucking mind" pic.twitter.com/pLQ29FkIUP

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— max seddon (@maxseddon) August 14, 2023

Over the years we’ve seen plenty of electronic road signs and billboards hacked to display “amusing” messages.

I assume that officials are now investigating with some haste whether whoever updated the ticker in the oil town of Surgut – declare that “Vladimir Putin is a dickhead and a thief” – was a rogue member of staff, or a hacker exploiting a poorly-secured or default password.

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Graham Cluley •   @gcluley

Graham Cluley is an award-winning keynote speaker who has given presentations around the world about cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. A veteran of the computer security industry since the early 1990s, he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows, makes regular media appearances, and is the co-host of the popular "Smashing Security" podcast. Follow him on Twitter, Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, or drop him an email.