Harassing messages from cable box

[Hilander]

Grandmother Alana Meeks, of Indianapolis, Indiana, says for the past week her family has been getting harassing messages from a very unusual source...their AT&T cable box. As WXIN Fox 59 reports, an unknown hacker is somehow taking control of the box and typing out messages. “He says he’s a stalker,” recounted Meeks. “This stuff is uncanny. I’ve never heard of nothing like this in my life.”

Family terrorized by harassing messages received from…their cable box

I don't understand how someone could pull this off. They seemed to know when fox news was in the house. Looks like the only way you could do this is if you had access to the remote but I'm no technical genius or a hacker.

Its so creepy and I hope someone figures out who is doing this. I don't blame the family at all for being upset and unnerved by it all.

Could it even be someone in the house doing it or can you hack a cable box? Thoughts?

 

[Smelnick]

That's pretty crazy. Kind of sucks that people use these kinds of hacks to troll random people. If I had that kind of power, I'd use it to prank my friends who I know wouldn't be traumatized by it. I can't understand how so many people get off on causing trouble.

 

[Hilander]

What I don't understand is how do you hack something that's not hooked up to the internet or sending a signal through the air. Then they knew Fox news was there, is there a camera in that cable box. Could someone from AT&T being doing this? or a neighbor? If it were a neighbor it would explain how they knew Fox was there. I hope they get to the bottom of this.

 

[Smelnick]

Its not through the internet I don't think. They tapped into the actual cable signal. Its a data stream between your box and the provider. He can send commands into your box that way. I think something like that anyways.

 

[dDave]

Right. This doesn't sound like it's being done over the internet but rather through the cable connection, You might get your internet through the cable company but the internet and cable connections are different.

I have no idea why people like trolling people like this, it's just a terrible thing to do.

 

[Doc]

It looks, to me, like the neighbor found a way to remotely send messages to the box and they're using it to troll the family. I understand the lack of privacy but the whole situation seems like attention grabbing by the perpetrator.

 

[Hilander]

That's what I have been thinking Doc that its a neighbor doing this and that is why they know who is there.

I wish I knew if they ever found out who it is.