Computer criminals in North Carolina have managed to hack the McDonald’s Drive-Thru Wireless Intercom and replace it with a message of their own.
McDonald’s Got Hacked In A Bad Way
A McDonald’s restaurant in North Carolina was featured in some of the local and international news reports as a target of hackers. The criminals however were not after the restaurant itself, their attack was against the drive-thru intercom system. It uses a simple wireless technology which was hijacked by malicious users.
As a result of this the customers who opted to receive their orders from this section of the McDonald’s restaurant were shocked to discover that an unexpected message was played after they have placed their order with the system.
Usually the customers are greeted by a standard message by the restaurant staff when they have placed their order. However the incident has delivered something quite different. A voice is heard that states the following:
“You know I’m actually on the toilet right now and I’m just going to serve you your food. I’m not even going to wash my hands. I’m trying to get some special sauce out right now. You know what just pull forward because I’m going to give you whatever the f— I feel like giving you.”
The owner of the franchise has been notified by an employee. The investigation revealed that the hackers were able to hijack the wireless frequency which was used by the intercom service. A statement was posted on Monday which states the following:
“We are investigating this matter with the help of the New Bern Police Department. In addition, we are taking steps to prevent this isolated incident from happening again. As local owners, our biggest priority is our customers and community and we want to ensure that every experience at our restaurant is a positive one.”
A customer was able to capture a video of the hacked intercom. Depending on the frequency used the hackers can easily exploit the wireless frequency, especially if the communications are unencrypted. Radio equipment can easily be bought from eBay and other popular sites and used in various hacking projects. Such incidents are reported on a regular basis.
