A man shared his story of hacking a McDonald’s drive-thru radio, pulling a funny prank on an unsuspecting employee.
A man known for his hacking skills once pulled off a funny prank at a McDonald’s drive-thru.
Kevin Mitnick, a famous hacker who passed away in 2023, shared this amusing story from his youth when he was just 16 years old.
He became well-known for his hacking activities and later worked as a security consultant.
The hacker intercepted the McDonald’s drive-thru radio signals.
Mitnick’s prank did not involve stealing food or getting free burgers.
Instead, he decided to take over the drive-thru radio system.
He parked a distance away from the restaurant and intercepted the radio signals.
With a more powerful signal than the restaurant’s equipment, he was able to communicate with customers and the staff inside McDonald’s.
“I would be able to take people’s order and communicate with the people and the guy inside the McDonald’s with a headset could only hear, because I had a more powerful signal,” he explained.
The prank begins
From his hidden location, Mitnick started to play around with the situation.
He told customers that they were the “100th customer” and that their order was free.
He joked about the size of the customers, suggesting they should order a lighter meal, like a McSalad, based on their appearance.
This caused confusion and laughter among the customers who were unaware of the prank.
Mitnick went on: “(I would say) ‘you’re the 100th customer today please drive forward your order’s for free’,
right we could see that the occupants were overweight (so I’d say) ‘take your order please’,” he said, before pulling the prank off.
The hacker escalated the prank with humor.
The prank escalated when police arrived at the scene. Mitnick, still using the radio, pretended to be a worker inside the restaurant.
He shouted comically inappropriate remarks, like, “Hide the cocaine!”
This prompted the McDonald’s manager to come outside and check what was happening.
The manager’s reaction
As the manager approached, Mitnick couldn’t resist making one last joke.
He shouted through the radio, asking the manager what he was looking at.
This startled the manager, causing him to jump back in surprise.
Mitnick’s prank had turned into a memorable moment for everyone involved, even if it was at the expense of the restaurant staff.
“We’re across the street, and then he walks up to the drive up window speaker and he actually bend over to look inside.
“Well, I couldn’t resist (I was) like ‘WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING AT?’ looking at this guy fly back about ten feet.”
A legacy of fun
Mitnick’s drive-thru stunt was one of many tricks he pulled during his hacking days.
Although he had a troubled past involving cyber crimes, including stealing passwords and breaking into networks, he also had a lighter side that he enjoyed sharing.
His stories about hacking, including this McDonald’s prank, showcased a humorous perspective on his younger years.