Rather sick this one

I found this in a Kaspersky blog and I for one cannot feel any sadness for a fellow that would dream up this crap.

Hacking Humans

Sadly, Barnaby Jack died just a week before he was scheduled appear here in a briefing called “Implantable Medical Devices: Hacking Humans.” The brilliant security researcher was at the forefront of implantable medical device research (implantable medical devices are those, like insulin pumps and pacemakers, that are implanted in a patient's body), a topic we intend to explore on the Kaspersky Daily very soon. Many of these devices transmit signals and have the capacity to communicate wirelessly with devices outside the body. These are obviously and increasingly hackable, and the loss of Barnaby Jack is an unfortunate. The beloved hacker from New Zealand famously hauled two ATMs into a presentation hall at Black Hat a few years back. Throughout the course of the talk, he sat on his laptop and compromised the ATMs in every way imaginable. He manipulated their display screens, made one of them think that the $20 bills encased within were $5 bills, and – of course – closed his briefing in style by forcing the other ATM to spew money out all over the stage.

Why? He was one of the good guys.
Evil ones don't go at conventions and showcase the exploits they use (this means the makers will likely patch that stuff within months and keep an eye to avoid similar errors in the future), they would just rape a few ATMs and run.
What he did is just a more spectacular version of quality assurance. And got payed awesomely for that if he was so good.

Blame the idiots that coded/designed stuff that is hackable (or those that allocated too little developing/testing time on it).
Hacking is just exploiting existing faults/bugs in software and hardware. Nothing more.

On a tangent, cool stuff, I thought forcing an ATM to spew money all around was only fiction.

also as they say " he was some mothers son" .
security systems banks etc employ people to try bypass their security as it is part of staying ahead of the disingenuous folks.

Wonder if another hacker bumped him off ?
Seems he had good intensions most would not,
People have been hacking windows forever and reporting flaws is that any different ?
TCB
Live free - Die hard

Well seems I am in the minority here so I am leaving it. I work as health professional and I see people with these devices all the time and I wonder how it would make them feel if they knew that someone had an idea like this was running around "bragging" about it like some schoolroom prank.
I just thought that anyone who would dream up something like this unless of course he was specifically asked to look into this issue is of a sick mind. I of course stand to be corrected but that is how I read it.
ATM's go for your life but killing someone like this you have got to be deranged

I wonder how it would make them feel if they knew that someone had an idea like this was running around "bragging" about it like some schoolroom prank.

Because not saying them that their devices have buggy software that will allow an actually malicious person to kill them by pressing a button is better.

The devices were already vulnerable (ATM or whatever). He just found the weaknesses. That's what hacking is. Finding weaknesses and exploiting them.

The real evil people in this story are the companies making the device, that skimp on testing and coding time for cost reasons. And make devices with weaknesses.

I just thought that anyone who would dream up something like this unless of course he was specifically asked to look into this issue is of a sick mind.

He was doing a great service to everyone with such devices (possibly saving lives), and mostly just for fame and lulz. There aren't a lot of people that do the same.

While I agree that he found these issues is important I still think that it is scary stuff to think that some scumbag Technoyobbo would get a hold of this and use it for pleasure. There are very sick people out there I think you would have to agree.
Take for a hypothetical one of these yobs takes it into his or her head and hacks say your father, mother brother or your wife or children's pacemaker or defibrillator and give it a blast and kills them how would you feel??
Personally making it publicly known that this is possible is irresponsible if not downright immoral and unethical. He should have broached this with the companies in the first instance and they did not take any action then go political with it. No ifs or buts, however I suppose I will get back the some sad excuses for this fellow doing it this way.

he should have broached this with the companies in the first instance and they did not take any action then go political with it.

Companies would have simply ignored him. What are you expecting from so careless people that design flawed products that endanger their customer's lives just to cut costs? They only care about bad PR, which is what exposing everything to the world does.

What you mean for "going political"?

Personally making it publicly known that this is possible is irresponsible if not downright immoral and unethical.

Not saying it and hoping an actual homicidal hacker does not find out the same stuff is more immoral (There are brilliant minds even in the criminal underworld).
By exposing the faults they will patch them within months/years, and everyone will know that this is a danger and plan accordingly.
By not exposing them he allows others to kill people. Which is also criminal offense for most nations.

I meant by political just that inform any or all politicians or law enforcement agencies that will listen or maybe I have it wrong.

Perhaps I have a simple minded view on life but if it were me I know what I would be doing with that sort of knowledge and it would not be espousing it to the world at large for any lunatic / scumbag to put to whatever use they wish.

I guess anything I say will be wrong in most peoples minds.