Rather sick this one

[ICIT2LOL]

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.

 

[bobafetthotmail]

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.

 

[boohbah]

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.

 

[ThrashZone]

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

 

[FuturDreamz]

Well hacking pacemakers would be a major boon to the spy/assassin industry, so I can't really rule out foul play.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

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

 

[bobafetthotmail]

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.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

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.

 

[bobafetthotmail]

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.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

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.

 

[ThrashZone]

As your referring to devices,
Drones are also devices which are being hacked pretty much the same way,
So ?
The guy might be one sick pup but I believe casting a light on the subject is a good thing,
The delivery of the message could use some work/ to late for that,
Eccentric people often do things unexpectedly to make a strong point.

 

[FuturDreamz]

I remember watching an episode of "1,000 ways to die" where someone had hacked his own pacemaker and was fiddling with it's settings, and accidently made it responsive to commands sent from his neighbour's kid's game controller. Not sure if it's true though.

 

[bobafetthotmail]

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

The only thing he can do in this direction is suing them. Then he needs to prove that what he says is correct and that the company did it on purpose.
Most companies especially in biomedical have more cash that any individual and tend to stall these kinds of trials just to inflate the costs for the other party that has less cash.

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.

It's not optimal and exposes people to danger, but it's the fastest, cheapest and surest way to get the companies move their lazy asses and fix the issue, and keep an eye on this for the future as it sets a precedent. Any other realistic way would be longer and more expensive, putting the same people in danger for longer.

By making it common knowledge, anyone can lie and claim one of his relatives that died with one of the bugged products (for any actual reason, like say old age) died because of the company's wrongdoing. Being a serious offense this is going to be persecuted by the state so there is no point in trying to out-cash the opponent. And would likely win as it's hard to prove it's not their fault.
This is a major risk of significant financial loss and PR hit for the company, that will do all in its power to fix everything asap just to avoid getting sued by a ton of crafty individuals that just want to get some cash and lose the face with its customers.
And this well before anyone will get hurt because of that.

Drones are also devices which are being hacked pretty much the same way,

Well, a drone is remotely operated, so it is significantly easier to hack.

I would like to know the reasoning behind putting two-way wireless connections on implants when anyone with a bit of IT experience knows that two-way wireless is and has always been a gigantic security hole in any network unless set up VERY well and constantly updated as older encryptions get cracked.

 

[Borg 386]

Most medical devices nowadays can be remotely controlled. This is for the convenience of doctors & specialists, it eliminates the need to actually cut someone open to make adjustments to the device. The devices also oft times contain the patients medical history & background, as well as other sensitive information. This can indeed be a lifesaver if someone were admitted to a hospital in an unconscious state.

Unfortunately, there are inadequate safeguards in place when it comes to this. And it goes beyond medical devices. I recently read an article concerning cars being hacked, while driving down the road. The hackers were able to control the steering, accelerator, brakes, & even the airbag deployment in some instances.

This does bring light to the fact that we living in a day & age where just about everything is hackable, or will be at some point or another, unless stringent safeguards are put in place.

Note: Found the article relating to car hacking:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57...=nl.e757&s_cid=e757&ttag=e757&ftag=CAD2e9d5b9

 

[ICIT2LOL]

As your referring to devices,
Drones are also devices which are being hacked pretty much the same way,
So ?
The guy might be one sick pup but I believe casting a light on the subject is a good thing,
The delivery of the message could use some work/ to late for that,
Eccentric people often do things unexpectedly to make a strong point.

Look I agree I am not saying that this fellow is or was sick only that it was sick and in my mind a grossly inappropriate thing to broadcast this knowledge in a public forum in that it is now knowledge that some really sick or evil person would and probably now will take it into their minds to put into action.
I think he would have been far better off discussing this in a private closed group or to law enforcement agencies. Then the issue could have been dealt with in the appropriate manner that I personally think it should have been.
Again personally I think that for someone of such intelligence to do this is quite a careless and untimely thing to do.

 

[bobafetthotmail]

Most medical devices nowadays can be remotely controlled.

Yeah, but the same can be done with a physical connector ala Matrix. I think batteries for most stuff are external anyway.

Note: Found the article relating to car hacking:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-575...tag=CAD2e9d5b9

WooT! Now that's pretty cool. I was wondering when it would come. After all the car is now fully electronically-controlled anyway from a central "computer".

Will have to invest in a serious car-mounted jammer now.

I think he would have been far better off discussing this in a private closed group or to law enforcement agencies.

As I said, the only realistic way to get the companies to fix their stuff is exposing their wrongdoings. All other ways would have required years and thousands of bucks coming from his own pocket.

Btw, don't think that hacking implants is a so new idea nor that it isn't pretty known already. Anyone familiar with Cyberpunk games and fiction knows of "cyberware hacking" This is what Google turns up by googling it. ("cyberware" is the name of biomedical implants in cyberpunk settings, as you see most roleplaying games even put down rules to do it in the game)

The idea is floating around since at least 2006.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

[As I said, the only realistic way to get the companies to fix their stuff is exposing their wrongdoings. All other ways would have required years and thousands of bucks coming from his own pocket.

Btw, don't think that hacking implants is a so new idea nor that it isn't pretty known already. Anyone familiar with Cyberpunk games and fiction knows of "cyberware hacking" This is what Google turns up by googling it. ("cyberware" is the name of biomedical implants in cyberpunk settings, as you see most roleplaying games even put down rules to do it in the game)]

Point taken but it still does not sit well with me I suppose it is inevitable then that at some stage of the game some things will suddenly stop functioning whenever they use electronics as a base for the final functioning of that equipment beit a car, a train or worse. I just hope that I or one of mine is not in it, on it, or have implanted when the lunatic/s press the button/s.
I think it is sad indictment of our species to be like this and we see ourselves as the ultimate intelligent beings on this planet and we see fit to do some pretty nasty things to each other even if they are done in the name of crime or judicial matters - such as conflicts.