An Asics Store Had All Its TV Screens Hacked with Porn for 9 Hours

Source – Sports company Asics has apologised after screens outside a flagship store in Auckland, New Zealand, showed pornography for several hours.

The content played on the store’s promotional outdoor screens above the entrance until staff arrived at 10am on Sunday to open the shop.

The Japanese sports company said hackers had gained access to the system to show the explicit content.

“We would like to apologise to anyone who may have seen this,” the firm said.

In a Facebook post, Asics said “an unknown person gained access to the screens above our central Auckland store and some objectionable content was displayed on the screens”. …

According to the New Zealand Herald, the pornographic content had been playing for nine hours until turned off by staff.

The paper cites security offer Dwayne Hinango saying that “some people were shocked, but others just stopped and watched”.

This is the second time in two days we’ve had reports of hackers posting porn on some businesses video screens. Yesterday it was a giant billboard above I-75 in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Now they’ve hit the Asics store at a pedestrian mall in Auckland. One more of these and it’s going to be a full blown, worldwide cyber trend. We’ll no for sure if they get a catchy, tabloid-ready nickname. Like Whackers. Or Dickieleaks, maybe.

Though really, could there be a more benign cyber “crime” anyone could commit? I mean, this hardly even reaches the level of “harmless prank.” It’s more like a public service. It’s giving the people what they want. I’ve never been to New Zealand, much less shopping for footwear in Auckland. But I’d imagine working retail around there is kind of drudgery. You live in a land of majestic mountain ranges and glorious valleys populated by Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits and Wizards, and you spend your days stuck inside four walls trying to cram Size 9 feet into Size 6 cross trainers that will never see the inside of an aerobics class. A little porn would be a welcome relief from the day to day, soul-crushing routine.

And judging by the reaction, with people standing around watching instead of running away in horror, the public has spoken. They want more porn in our downtown areas. Sure, someone will complain eventually. Sooner or later some naive helicopter mom is going to sue claiming her precious little Timmy is going to be scarred for life because he witnessed some aspiring actress with a $500 boob job from California getting London Bridged by two pony-tailed Eastern Europeans. But by the time a kid is getting his shoes from someplace other than Payless for Kids, they’ve already seen everything there is to see.

The bottom line is, we are heading toward a “Blade Runner” like future where everywhere you look will be video displays. Only there’ll be fewer ads than Ridley Scott envisioned. And a lot, lot, lot more porn. The future is here.