Early radio demonstration hackedIn 1903, a demonstration of the Marconi radio communications system at the Royal Institution, London, was hacked by Nevil Maskelyne. Physicist John Ambrose Fleming was lecturing to give the public their first demonstration of wireless communication. Italian radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi was at his clifftop radio station in Poldhu, Cornwall, 300 miles away, preparing to send a Morse code signal. Though the audience was unaware of it, the assistant tending the receiving apparatus found it was already tapping out the word “Rats,” repeatedly. Then it mocked, “There was a young fellow of Italy, who diddled the public quite prettily...” and more. An adversary, music hall magician Neville Maskelyne was interrupting using a transmitter in a nearby hall, to make the point of security flaws in radio messaging.«[Ref: Paul Marks, 'Dot-Dash-Diss', New Scientist, 27 Dec 2011.] |
