Hackers use streaming devices to make radio stations play 'FDT'

Vulnerabilities in the Internet of Things can have odd results, as we witnessed last year when radio stations suddenly started playing archived clips from a furry podcast. More recently, unknown hackers have exploited the Barix IP streamers some stations use to syndicate content for another purpose: playing YG's song "FDT." According to the Associated Press, a South Carolina station ended up playing the song on a loop for 15 minutes Monday night, following incidents on small stations in other states.

As Radio Insight explains, hardware left unprotected by firewalls and with default passwords can easily be exploited remotely. The Michigan Association of Broadcasters has information on how the devices can be secured, but if they aren't, then we can expect to keep hearing about incidents like this. The Shodan search engine makes it trivially easy to find vulnerable connected hardware, so make sure your hardware (security cameras, refrigerators, TVs, whatever) is set up properly and ports aren't exposed to the internet.