The San Francisco Municipal Railway has been hacked. When news of it started to make the rounds in different media outlets, it didn't take long before Watch Dogs 2 players to figure out its uncanny similarity to the game.
The San Francisco Railway, or Muni for short, was in a state of alarm last Saturday as the computer systems crashed and the message "You Hacked. ALL Data Encrypted" message started flashing on their computer screens.
As the message in the computers appear, all the fare payment machines at the underground station also flash the message "Out of Service" in ted letters.
The message also contained an email address advising whoever reads the message to contact the person for the hacking incident. An official from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency said that they are still investigating the situation and not really sure whether the system was hacked.
Not long after it hits the news, those who are familiar with Watch Dogs 2 started comparing the incident with the game. Ubisoft's hacking game takes place in San Francisco where its main character, Marcus Holloway plans silly pranks and general mayhem. Despite the game's light tone, there is an underlying political philosophy that motivates the story and it can be summed up in how Marcus sums up DeadSec's philosophy that 'big data is invasive and shitty."
What happened at the Muni to treat people for a free ride, especialy during a holiday, is similar to the philosophy Marcus adheres to which is "murdering Google security guards and assassinating San Francisco cops."
Although Muni officials don't really think the incident poses a serious threat, employees are worried that they will be affected by the security breach. They are anxious whether they will be able to receive their salary this week as a result of the incident.
