Facepalm: Not for the first time, digital billboards have been hacked to play pornography. On this occasion, however, the incident took place on a global scale as the explicit footage appeared on public signage in multiple countries. A group claiming responsibility says the hack was so easy that "anyone with two brain cells" could have done it.
The most visible hack took place on a digital billboard stretching across one of Egypt's biggest highways: the 26th of July Axis in Giza. Drivers stopped their cars to film as the screen broadcast the adults-only material, which was overlaid with the text "Leaked by: Ch, 19ylegal never and nivex" and the Telegram handle @LeakersGov.
According to CNN, Egypt's Interior Ministry blamed a cyberattack on the website of an unnamed international company contracted by the billboard's operator. It said the breach caused footage to appear in several countries simultaneously, and that legal proceedings had begun.
– ILTV Israel News (@ILTVNews) November 1, 2026
The Egyptian operator, Al Arabia United, said it shut down the affected screen after detecting unauthorized access and was working with authorities to investigate.
The highly conservative country has tried to block pornographic websites in the past, but online access remains popular – Pornhub Insights showed that Egypt was one of the top 20 countries visiting pornography websites in 2025.
Malaysia's Kluang Municipal Council also confirmed that several public LED screens had been compromised. The council switched off its screens and said it was working with its vendor to investigate and improve security.
Gizmodo also reports a confirmed incident in Brazil, while there are also claims involving Iraq and China.
As for how the screens were hijacked, the group calling itself Leakers$ said it exploited a flaw in software used to send content to LED displays. Its members claimed an automated scan uncovered thousands of exposed systems in around two hours. The systems were allegedly accessible via web pages and interfaces that lacked basic security protections. The group claimed its aim was to expose poor security, rather than collect a ransom.
"It was a genuine vulnerability in the software responsible for transmitting content to LED displays," a Leakers$ member told The Cairo Report. "After exploiting it, we gained access to display systems in several countries, not just Egypt, but also Malaysia, Brazil, China, and others."
Anyone experiencing a sense of déjà vu might remember a 2019 incident in Auburn Hills, Michigan. A billboard beside the I-75 and M-59 interchange played pornography for around 20 minutes before being shut down. Police were looking for two suspects believed to have broken into the control shed beneath the sign. No accidents were reported in the Michigan incident, but police warned that the footage was a major distraction for drivers, obviously.
There was also an Asics store in New Zealand whose outdoor screens showed porn for nine hours, as well as similar previous hacks in Australia, Indonesia, and Iraq.
