Hackers took over digital LED billboards in several countries and made them play explicit videos, Gizmodo and The Straits Times report.

The confirmed cases were in Egypt, Malaysia and Brazil, Gizmodo reports. The group also claimed it got into screens in Iraq and China. Independent proof for those two places is thinner, Gizmodo says.

In Egypt, a large screen over a busy highway in Giza was hit. Egypt's Interior Ministry said the screen's owner used a foreign company whose website was attacked. The ministry said legal action had begun.

In Malaysia, the town council in Kluang, Johor, said several public LED screens were hacked, and it shut them down. Police have opened two investigations, The Straits Times reports. In Brazil, an ad company in Campo Maior confirmed a cyberattack on one of its panels.

A group calling itself Leakers claimed the attacks. A member said the group found a flaw in software that sends content to LED displays. An automated scan of about two hours found thousands of exposed systems, the group said.

"Companies charge millions to build infrastructure across countries, yet leave LED screens and advertising networks connected to the internet without even basic protection," the group said.

The group said it is not seeking ransom or donations. It said it wanted to show how weak the systems are. Those claims could not be checked.

Gizmodo notes that billboard hacks have happened before, often through default passwords that were never changed.

What we know: Screens in at least three countries were hacked, and police are investigating.
What we don't: Who the hackers are, or how many screens were affected.