Belgrade hackers receive iPads for fun prank
A pair of computer science students learned recently that hacking for fun can be a troubling, yet rewarding experience. According to a report in Ars Technica, two young men in Serbia went from worrying about fleeing their country to receiving shiny new iPads for their hacking prowess.
It all started when Ivan Petrović and Filip Stanisavljević used their l33t skills to infiltrate a billboard in a popular Belgrade plaza. They wanted to demonstrate to the billboard owner DPC that the software powering their sign was not secure.
As soon as they accessed the system that controls the billboard, the pair broadcast an iOS Space Invaders game and ended their performance with a message promoting white-hat hacking. The two filmed their adventure and uploaded it to YouTube.
As soon as news of their stunt hit the Serbian media, the pair were labeled as "bad hackers" and looped in with the hacking group Anonymous, an association the pair denied. They told Ars Technica that they even considered fleeing the country to escape the negative press.
Billboard owner DPC eventually contacted the pair to talk about the security flaw. DPC rewarded them for their efforts with a pair of iPad mini 4Gs. You can read more about the two white-hat hackers in the Ars Technica post. The video they filmed is embedded below.
[Via Torrent Freak and Kurir]
