Technology

Egypt halts Giza advertising screen after hack airs inappropriate footage

Egypt's Interior Ministry said on Thursday that it had shut down an advertising screen on a major road in Giza governorate after it was hacked and showed inappropriate footage. The ministry said the screen belongs to an advertising firm contracted with an international company, and media reports citing it say the breach targeted that company's website.

CNN بالعربيةThursday, October 29, 2026, 21:15Covered by 3 sources

Illustrative photo: Illuminated blank advertising screens beside a wet night road behind a railing and trees. Photo by Vladimir Wang on Unsplash

Why it matters

The incident shows that internet-connected digital billboards can be hacked, with the effects visible to the public in open spaces. It underlines the need for operators and their partners to secure the systems that run them.

Background

Digital advertising screens line the main roads of large cities and are typically run by advertising companies contracted to operate them and display their content. Giza is an Egyptian governorate in the Greater Cairo region. The Interior Ministry is the body responsible for internal security in the country.

Key points

RT Arabic described the content as "pornographic scenes", while CNN Arabic quoted the ministry as referring to "obscene clips".

How outlets covered it

The three outlets agree on the basic facts: the Interior Ministry issued a statement on Thursday about inappropriate footage shown on an advertising screen in Giza. CNN Arabic focused on the screen belonging to an advertising company contracted with an international firm and on its suspension, and put the word "obscene" in quotation marks. In the text provided, Sky News Arabia only noted the statement and the incident, without mentioning the cause of the hack. Of these outlets, RT Arabic alone highlighted a cyberattack on the international company's website as the cause, and it described the footage as "pornographic".