On February 11, 2013, the Emergency Alert System (EAS) of five different television stations across the U.S. states of Montana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and New Mexico were hijacked, interrupting each television broadcast with a local area emergency message warning viewers of "bodies of the dead" whom are "attacking the living". The message was subsequently declared as a hoax by local authorities and was reported to be a result of hackers gaining access to the Emergency Alert System equipment of various television stations.

The first incident took place in Great Falls, Montana, during an afternoon airing of The Steve Wilkos Show on CBS affiliate television station KRTV. The television signal was abruptly interrupted by an audible local area emergency alert reading "Civil authorities in your area have reported that the bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking the living". Later the same day the stations of CBS affiliate WKBT-DT, ABC affiliate WBUP, and PBS member station WNMU in Marquette, Michigan, and La Crosse, Wisconsin, respectively, had their Emergency Alert System hijacked, transmitting a similar hoax alert during their primetime programming hours. Not long afterwards, the television broadcasts of PBS affiliate KENW in Portales, New Mexico were also interrupted by the false alert. The hijackers were later apprehended by authorities shortly after the incident.

Just two days after the initial hijackings on February 13, 2013, a morning show on WIZM-FM in La Crosse aired an audio recording from the hoax alert, which triggered WKBT-DT's Emergency Alert System once more, relaying the message over the television station's broadcast signals. On February 28, 2017, radio station WZZY in Winchester, Indiana, had their emergency alert equipment hijacked in an almost identical manner using the same "zombie apocalypse" hoax audio message as the one used in the incidents in 2013. CBS, ABC, and PBS hardware engineers who investigated the initial incidents reported that the hijackers likely gained access to the Emergency Alert Systems through a variety of weaknesses in the various station's emergency alert equipment, including a vulnerability in the machine's authentication bypass security and the usage of default passwords that were listed on online user manuals.

All five emergency alert hijackings took place on February 11, 2013, in Great Falls, Montana, Marquette, Michigan, La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Portales, New Mexico. The hijackings primarily compromised the television stations of KRTV, WKBT-DT, WBUP, WNMU, and KENW; however, the incident also led to stations ABC10 and its sister station CW 5 to disconnect their networks from the EAS system to prevent further intrusions. WKBT-DT was also struck again with the same hoax alert only two days after the initial incidents after a morning show on WIZM-FM triggered WKBT's Emergency Alert System. In February 2017, radio station WZZY in Randolph County, Indiana, was also hijacked with an identical "zombie apocalypse" EAS alert as the ones in 2013.

On the afternoon of February 11, 2013, at approximately 2:30 to 2:33 pm MST, an airing of The Steve Wilkos Show on KRTV's channels 1 and 2 was suddenly interrupted by a false local area emergency alert transmitted by KRTV's Emergency Alert System after the system was hijacked via access to the television stations emergency alert equipment. Following the signal interruption, viewers were met with an audible message that read:

"Civil authorities in your area have reported that the bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking the living. Follow the messages on-screen that will be updated as information becomes available. Do not attempt to approach or apprehend these bodies, as they are considered extremely dangerous. I repeat: civil authorities in your area have reported that the bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking the living. Follow the messages on-screen that will be updated as information becomes available. Do not attempt to approach or apprehend these bodies, as they are considered extremely dangerous. This warning applies to all areas receiving this broadcast. Tune into 920 AM to get updated information in the event that you are separated from your television or if electrical service is interrupted. Civil authorities in your area have reported that the bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking the living. Follow the messages on-screen that will be updated as information becomes available. This station will now cease transmission, so please use your battery powered radio and tune into 920 AM for further information."

The Emergency Area Alert warned viewers of "bodies from the dead" in the areas surrounding Powell, Broadwater, Jefferson, and Lewis & Clark counties. Not long after the broadcast was transmitted, local authorities declared the alert as a hoax. The audio was later discovered to have been taken directly from a 2008 YouTube video titled "Zombie Emergency Alert System Warning (EAS)". The first sentence of the audio was also used in an Anthrax song, "Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't."

The second hijacking took place in Marquette, Michigan, and La Crosse, Wisconsin, when the Emergency Alert System for the television stations of WKBT-DT in La Crosse, and WBUP and WNMU in Marquette at approximately 3:55 pm EST, were hacked, interrupting the television broadcasts with the same "zombie apocalypse" alert as before. The signal interruption occurred during WNMU's and WBUP's primetime afternoon broadcasting of Barney & Friends and The Bachelor.