SAN DIEGO – At some point early Thursday morning, hackers got into an on-ramp freeway message board and posted a slur about Donald Trump with the letters “KKK” added to it.
Cal Trans says the board was turned off an hour after someone called to report it.
The board is part of a construction project at Adams Avenue and the I-15.
It appears crews were careless and left the control panel unlocked.
While Fox 5 News was there, nothing had been done to secure it.
The user’s guide was inside with the password clearly marked. Instructions pointed the way for anyone to post any message on it.
“I’m thinking like wow, it’s a joke,” said resident Vincent Ramirez.
Caltrans explained the break in with the following statement.
“Caltrans was alerted at about 6 a.m. today that a contractor’s portable electronic sign located at the Adams Avenue on-ramp to State Route 15 had been hacked with an obscene political message. The message was turned off within the hour. Most signs of this type are physically locked and protected by a password. People who break into electronic signs endanger public safety by distracting motorists and interfering with important messaging,” wrote Caltrans Public Information Officer Cathryne Bruce-Johnson.