E-paper screens can also be vulnerable to cyberattacks – a fact demonstrated recently in downtown Los Angeles. According to local news outlet KTLA, several LA Metro bus stop displays temporarily showed a bomb warning message instead of displaying waiting times for buses.
The altered message read: “Emergency Warning. Leave immediately. Risk of Suicide Bomb.” A pro-Hamas hacker group based in Turkey claimed responsibility for the incident, adding its social media handle to the message.
The same group reportedly carried out earlier cyberattacks on digital signage and public address systems at four North American airports – three in Canada and one in the U.S.
The affected LA Metro displays are E-Ink-based systems supplied by the British company Papercast. Installed along the Nextgen 204 line in May 2023, the screens were part of a wider initiative to equip LA County bus routes with real-time passenger information. The displays receive live updates through Papercast’s cloud-based CMS – the system that was compromised to give hackers access to the screens.
It’s unclear how many screens were impacted. The false message was removed later the same day. KTLA reports that LA Metro was working with Papercast to identify and fix the security breach.