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Famed ATM Hacker Barnaby Jack Dies Days Before Black Hat Conference

Posted by Unknown on from the too-young dept.

wiredmikey writes "A shocking and sad day today in the security industry. Well known hacker Barnaby Jack has passed away, sending a shock through the security community. Jack, a famed white hat hacker, was scheduled to present at the Black Hat conference on Tuesday, and present research on vulnerabilities in implantable medical devices. Shocked reactions hit the Twittersphere on Friday, as many in the industry conveyed their condolences, shock, and even disbelief, hoping new of the death was some sort of hoax. 'I just wake up and heard this, really sad, I can't believe this, no words,' Cesar Cerrudo, CTO, IOActive Labs, said in an email to SecurityWeek. Barnaby Jack is probably best known for his ATM hacking demonstrations, which he liked to refer as 'Jackpotting,' and performed at a few conferences, including a demonstration at Black Hat 2010 that got media attention around the world. The San Francisco Medical Examiner's office told Reuters that Jack had died in San Francisco on Thursday, but did not provide additional details."

10 of 110 comments (clear)

  1. Myes, myes... by girlintraining · · Score: 5, Insightful

    . The San Francisco Medical Examiner's office told to Reuters that Jack had died in San Francisco on Thursday, but did not provide additional details."

    Well, that is the official version of events, yes. -- NSA

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    #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
    1. Re:Myes, myes... by ilsaloving · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Why is the parent marked troll? A young guy dies days before he was going to give a lecture during a security conference, and they won't say how he died?

      How does that *not* sound suspicious?

    2. Re:Myes, myes... by amiga3D · · Score: 3, Funny

      He actually had to reload one of them.

    3. Re:Myes, myes... by Dputiger · · Score: 5, Informative

      It doesn't sound suspicious at all if you think about it. It takes an autopsy to determine cause of death, and that takes a few days at least.

    4. Re:Myes, myes... by ebno-10db · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It doesn't sound suspicious at all

      I disagree. The guy was 34-35. Presumably he didn't get hit by a truck or shot in the head, as you don't need an ME to figure out the basic cause. Do people that age just drop dead? Sure, sometimes, especially if they have known serious health problems. Even if they don't, it can happen (e.g. major aneurysm due to congenital weakness in an artery). It doesn't happen very often though.

      I'm no conspiracy theorist and I wouldn't go around screaming ah ha! A little suspicion though, when it happens a few days before a hacker conference, and considering other things that have been happening lately, is another story.

    5. Re:Myes, myes... by Dunbal · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Do people that age just drop dead?

      Yes they do. Not often, but it happens. I had "sudden cardiac death". I'm alive because it happened in an emergency room in front of a doctor. They called code, and brought me back. I was 30. I'm still here at 45, 5 bypasses, a defibrillator implant and 8 stents later. The odds increase if you consider this researcher was probably a nerd like most of us, meaning he was probably sedentary most of the time, and probably didn't exactly eat the best stuff for his health.

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    6. Re:Myes, myes... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The question is whether or not the probability of dieing is significantly higher when you are about to appear at a hacker converence to discuss the hacking of implanted medical devices.

    7. Re:Myes, myes... by Dunbal · · Score: 3, Informative

      It could be. Stress. Stress releases cortisol and increases vascular tone through a higher baseline of catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine) which leads to higher blood pressure. This puts more work on the heart since it has to increase its output to compensate for the increased resistance to blood flow. Stress can very well be a factor that causes a catastrophic event like this to happen. Usually when someone dies suddenly, it's a circulatory problem - stroke, heart attack, aneurysm, thrombosis. All of these have increased probabilities of happening when someone is under stress. Yeah, I'm a doctor, too - which is why I got so lucky and was standing in the middle of an ER when it happened to me :)

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      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  2. Shitty by Orgasmatron · · Score: 5, Interesting

    That sucks.

    He was an interesting character. He helped me sneak a girl into a hacker party at the Peppermill one year during Defcon. No one that drank with him, even once, will ever forget him.

    God had better keep an eye on him. If the pearly gates have any exploits, he'll find them.

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    See that "Preview" button?
  3. Re:Nothing to see, move on. by amiga3D · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Stop killing the fun. Paranoia is my favorite hobby.