The Max Headroom Incident: The Night a Hacker Hijacked TV (1987)

In 1987, a mysterious hacker hijacked two Chicago TV stations during a broadcast. Read the unsolved story of the infamous Max Headroom signal intrusio

The Max Headroom Incident: The Night a Hacker Hijacked TV By USA 360 | Technology History & Cyber Mysteries O n the night of November 22, 1987, thousands of people in Chicago were sitting in front of their television sets. Some were watching the news; others were watching Doctor Who . Suddenly, the screens flickered. The audio buzzed and died. What appeared next wasn't a technical glitch. It was a man in a mask. For the next few minutes, an unknown hacker took control of the airwaves, mocking the TV station, the government, and the viewers. This event, known as the Max Headroom Incident , remains the most famous case of broadcast signal intrusion in history. The First Attack: WGN-TV The first strike happened during the 9:00 PM news on WGN-TV. Sportscaster Dan Roan was reporting on the Chicago Bears' victory. Suddenly, the screen went black. A buzzing noise replaced the audio. A figure appeared on the screen wearing a rubber mask of "Max Headroom" (a popular AI character f…

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