Barnaby Jack and the likes of his studies remain largely unnoticed by the general public, save for a short Reuters article published after his death on July 25, 2013 and a small Wikipedia article authored by a user named "Libbux." That user was me. As the Reuters article is titled, "Famed hacker Barnaby Jack dies a week before hacking convention." Twitter becomes a torrent overflowing with messages of denial from the most prominent computer security professionals in the industry. I shake my head in disbelief. He was 35.
The controversy surrounding his death stemmed from the illicit nature of the work he did. When he died, Barnaby was working on projects which would change the world forever. As a "white hat" hacker, the term used in the computer security industry which defines a security specialist "hacking" and breaking into systems to demonstrate their vulnerabilities and ways to prevent the use of those vulnerabilities by less moral hackers looking to vandalize or steal from systems. White hat hacking is akin to a locksmith trying to pick the latest locks or ex-cons being hired to test security systems. White hat hackers are often hired by companies to hack into their systems or products as a malicious attacker might, as to ensure the product's total security. Barnaby Jack was no exception.
What caused the controversy? What was illicit about his work? In 2010, Barnaby gave a presentation at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, a conference attended by thousands of security specialists and advocates from around the world to share the latest and greatest in secure and insecure systems. His presentation was on "jackpotting" Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). "Jackpotting" entailed hacking into standard ATMs both remotely and with a semi-physical presence, and uploading malware causing the machines to literally spew out all of the cash in their safes. He demonstrated the process with two ATMs on stage at Black Hat USA 2010, to the applause and praise of millions around the world.
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| Barnaby Jack (Poster Art by Jonathan) |
Famous for his 2010 ATM hack, Barnaby Jack decided to try a more ambitious field. Implanted medical devices were the logical next step, having sparked science fiction debates for years. Doctors can now monitor and control devices like insulin pumps, pacemakers, and heart implants from their computers anywhere in the world. Barnaby Jack spent a year researching these devices and reverse engineering them, figuring out exactly how they worked and how they could be exploited. In 2011, he gave the first demonstration of his efforts at the McAfee FOCUS 11 conference in Las Vegas. He was able to wirelessly attack insulin pumps implanted in people, and demonstrated under safe conditions attacking a pump without prior knowledge of the serial number. He then caused the unit to deliver its entire reservoir of 300 doses of insulin to the mannequin patient, which would be lethal in a human being. He claimed he was able to do so from over 300 feet away with the help of a small antenna.
In 2012 at the BreakPoint conference in Melbourne, Australia, Barnaby demonstrated the hacking of a pacemaker. He gained complete control of the device, allowing him to deliver lethal shocks directly to the wearer's heart; also without any knowledge of the serial number of the device.
Barnaby Jack, being a responsible and prolific "good guy," responsibly disclosed the vulnerabilities he discovered in the devices and was working with their manufacturers to patch them.
Flash back to July 2013. Barnaby Jack was scheduled to attend the Black Hat USA 2013 conference, the same one which 3 years prior had made him famous and accelerated his career. According to an interview conducted shortly before his death by Vice, there was "certainly a potential health risk" with the demonstrations he was due to give. Isn't that convenient? Plainly put, "hacker dies before teaching the world how to kill people wirelessly," the headline would have been easier to digest for most. The general public did not know about Barnaby's work, and as such did not know about the controversy surrounding his death.
On July 25, 2013, Barnaby was found dead in his apartment by his girlfriend. There are few details as to the circumstances of his death - except one small quote from the Reuters article by Jim Finkle.
The New Zealand-born Jack, 35, was found dead on Thursday evening by "a loved one" at an apartment in San Francisco's Nob Hill neighborhood, according to a police spokesman. He would not say what caused Jack's death but said police had ruled out foul play.
The New Zealand-born Jack, 35, was found dead on Thursday evening by "a loved one" at an apartment in San Francisco's Nob Hill neighborhood, according to a police spokesman. He would not say what caused Jack's death but said police had ruled out foul play.
What was it that caused the police to rule out foul play? 5 months later, the results of the autopsy haven't
been made available. As we encroach on the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination and the smell of conspiracy still hanging in the air, one can only wonder what really happened on that midsummer's night.
I can only be certain that the work which Barnaby Jack ultimately dedicated his life to has been educational to me, and hundreds of thousands other like me. Not only does it demonstrate the problems with technological things which we take for granted, it metaphorically poses the question to us: Are we safe? In a world where commercial airplanes can be controlled by anybody with a laptop, a 1090 Mhz antenna, and a little bit of skill (see: "Renderman" presentation on hacking the ADS-B protocol). Should people like the late Mr. Jack have to live in fear? Is this what we do to the future defenders of our safety?
Barnaby Jack was a true hero to our society. He showed us the areas we were weak in, and helped us to make sure those weaknesses weren't turned into disasters. I hope his colleagues pick up his research and continue to make the world a better place.
Page created on 12/31/2013 3:16:33 PM
Last edited 12/31/2013 3:16:33 PM
