More zombie signs pop up around the U.S

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. (AP) - Hackers are messing with electronic road signs in Illinois and Austin, Texas, warning of zombies and raptors down the road. But traffic safety officials are not amused.

The latest breach came during Tuesday morning's rush hour near Collinsville. That is where hackers changed a sign along southbound Interstate 255 to read, "DAILY LANE CLOSURES DUE TO ZOMBIES."

Similar pranks have been pulled in recent days near Indianapolis and in Austin, Texas.

The Illinois Department of Transportation's Joe Gasaway worries that such pranks distract drivers from legitimate hazards down the road, perhaps endangering road crews. In Illinois, messing with an official traffic control device isa misdemeanor punishable by up to a $250 fine.

In Austin, a similar instance occurred on Jan. 28 at night. Some hackers had taken over some construction signs and warned people of the "zombies ahead."

A City of Austin spokesperson said the hacked messages were only up for a few hours, until the construction project manager saw them during his morning commute and immediately ordered them to be changed back.

Speculation among the tech-savvy on the Internet is that the signs were inspired by the video game Call of Duty 5, World at War, which is the top game in the country right now and features "nazi zombies," or an upcoming movie about zombies called "Dead Snow" (an official selection at Sundance '09). There are also several online sites that teach people how to break into these construction signs.

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