FCC Warns Broadcasters After Emergency Tones Used in Profanity-Laced Radio Hijacks Source: www.theregister.com/2025/11/2…
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued a warning following a series of cyber intrusions in which attackers hijacked insecure studio-to-transmitter links (STLs) and injected fake alerts and vulgar audio into radio broadcasts.
The attacks allowed intruders to divert legitimate programming and replace it with their own content, including the “Attention Signal” tone associated with the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The FCC described this as a “recent string of cyber intrusions” targeting poorly secured broadcast infrastructure.
Broadcasters are urged to review security controls and report any suspected unauthorized access to both the FCC and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
This warning follows a notable 2013 incident when the EAS was compromised across several television stations, resulting in hoax “zombie apocalypse” alerts before authorities confirmed the messages were fraudulent.
