2013-02-12: Zombie Apocalypse Alert
Level One Event
Several Emergency Alert Systems (EAS) were used to send a false alert to thousands of TV viewers in Montana and other states. While essentially being a harmless prank (hence the Level One ranking), the incident does serve to highlight the importance of securing your systems - even if they are drop-in appliances.
If the hackers who pulled this prank did so by using a default/insecure password or back door, as is likely the case, it's a very good thing that they were good-natured in their choice of prank message. It drove home the message of security to the people whose job it is to secure these systems, and without much harm to the public.