Norway inmate hacks TV so can share porn
An inmate at Norway's Halden prison hacked the TV system so he could share pornographic films and secret messages with fellow prisoners.
The inmate who hacked the system has now been transferred to another prison and officials at Halden are considering reporting the incident to the police.
Jan Strømnes, from Halden prison told Norway's VG newspaper that the prison authorities had become suspicious after they saw a spike in data traffic on the system.
"We reacted when we noticed unusually high data traffic and that inmates were having more than the normal trouble with their TVs. In addition, we found a handwritten note with a log-in on an inmate during a search."
After the hack, inmates could use their TV sets to chat to each other and share files without the prison guard's knowledge.
Halden prison is a high security prison which opened its doors in 2010. The prison is focused on rehabilitation, rather that punishment and was built to resemble life outside of the prison walls as much as possible.
Inmates enjoy flat-screen TVs, an en-suite bathroom with ceramic tiles, and a mini-fridge in their cells. Time Magazine has hailed it as the "the most humane" prison in the world.
The level of comfort at Halden has attracted international attention with a documentary, The Norden, featuring an American correctional officer's reaction to Halden prison.
Strømnes says he cannot guarantee that the TV system will not be hacked again.
"We have gone through the TV system with these security concerns in mind and built it up again. Today, inmates only have regular TV," he told VG.
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The inmate who hacked the system has now been transferred to another prison and officials at Halden are considering reporting the incident to the police.
Jan Strømnes, from Halden prison told Norway's VG newspaper that the prison authorities had become suspicious after they saw a spike in data traffic on the system.
"We reacted when we noticed unusually high data traffic and that inmates were having more than the normal trouble with their TVs. In addition, we found a handwritten note with a log-in on an inmate during a search."
After the hack, inmates could use their TV sets to chat to each other and share files without the prison guard's knowledge.
Halden prison is a high security prison which opened its doors in 2010. The prison is focused on rehabilitation, rather that punishment and was built to resemble life outside of the prison walls as much as possible.
Inmates enjoy flat-screen TVs, an en-suite bathroom with ceramic tiles, and a mini-fridge in their cells. Time Magazine has hailed it as the "the most humane" prison in the world.
The level of comfort at Halden has attracted international attention with a documentary, The Norden, featuring an American correctional officer's reaction to Halden prison.
Strømnes says he cannot guarantee that the TV system will not be hacked again.
"We have gone through the TV system with these security concerns in mind and built it up again. Today, inmates only have regular TV," he told VG.
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