[caption id="attachment_61992" align="alignright" width="300"] Zombie Alert On Local News Stations Traced To Overseas[/caption]Zombie alert On Local News Stations watched in several U.S. States

Are zombies rising up in Montana? That may be a real possibility after the Emergency Alert System voiceover warned that zombies are rising from the graves and are attacking humans. This alert ran on the Montana television station KRTV.

The Message was:

Emergency alert: zombies are rising up in Montana.

"Civil authorities in your area have reported that the bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking the living. Follow the messages onscreen that will be updated as information become available. Do not attempt to approach or apprehend these bodies as they are considered extremely dangerous."

KRTV released a statement saying that the message was a fraud, and that someone hacked into the Emergency Alert System. Local police also confirmed that there was not an emergency actually happening.

"We can report in the city, there have been no sightings of dead bodies rising from the ground," Lt. Shane Sorensen of the Great Falls Police Department told the Great Falls Tribune.

Some people are speculating that the prank may have been a way to gain publicity for the popular zombie franchise "The Walking Dead," which had over 12 million viewers last season, or the movie "Dead Bodies," which was released to great reviews.

Similiar messages have appeared in Texas and New York. The person responsible for this prank may be subject to a misdemeanor charge of tampering with a safety device.

Michigan stations say the hack has been traced "to an overseas source."

As one YouTube user noted, the downside of this joke is that when the warnings are broadcasted about the real zombie attack, people won't take it seriously.?

TV Station's Emergency Alert System Hacked, Warns of Montana Zombie Apocalypse

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nc60XPCXrh8

On The Web:

Zombie Alert Hoax: Emergency Broadcast System Hacked
http://www.informationweek.com/security/attacks/zombie-alert-hoax-emergency-broadcast-sy/240148355?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_All

'Zombie Alert' Also Aired In Michigan; Hacking Traced To Overseas Source
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/02/12/171814715/zombie-alert-also-aired-in-michigan-hacking-traced-to-overseas-source