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Skydiving Accident Leaves Security Guru Cedric 'Sid' Blancher Dead At 37

Posted by timothy on from the regards-to-his-friends-and-family dept.

An anonymous reader points out The Register's report that Wi-Fi security expert Cédric 'Sid' Blancher has died as the result of a skydiving accident. "Among other things, the 37-year-old Blancher was a sought-after speaker on WiFi security, and in 2005 published a Python-based WiFi traffic injection tool called Wifitap. In 2006, while working for the EADS Corporate Research centre, he also put together a paper on how to exploit Skype to act as a botnet." Some of Blancher's skydiving videos are posted to Vimeo; clearly, it's something he was passionate about.

12 of 332 comments (clear)

  1. Security 101 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Secure your common sense. Don't skydive.

    1. Re: Security 101 by Jeremi · · Score: 4, Insightful

      That's really a distortion of how dangerous skydiving is. The vast majority of skydiving deaths aren't really accidents but rather someone doing something stupid under a perfectly good canopy.

      I don't see the distortion -- deaths caused by stupidity are just a real as any other kind of death. In that case, the risk is that you'll make a bad decision, rather than a risk of equipment failure, but it's still a risk.

      --


      I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
    2. Re: Security 101 by Lehk228 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      indeed, most car accidents are caused by one or more stupid actions

      --
      Snowden and Manning are heroes.
    3. Re: Security 101 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      " from things that are either illegal (base jumping)"

      WHOA! - B.A.S.E. jumping is NOT illegal - not everywhere, at least. As a matter of fact, in Twin Falls, Idaho, they let you jump off one of their bridges (Perrine bridge, over the Snake river) pretty much any time you want to. It's a big draw to their city.

  2. Re:That's a shame by Joining+Yet+Again · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I expect it depends a lot on your physiology/psychology. I don't really get any kick at all out of extreme physical experiences, or anything material - and I've had lots of opportunity.

    Solving a complex mathematical problem is an immense thrill for me, however. Or figuring out a clever algorithm.

    Why yes, I am a nerd and a geek.

    World's good with all different sorts, though :).

  3. Re:That's a shame by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A friend of mine was into sky diving years ago. Everyone warned him he was taking crazy risks and he'd die some time.

    But in the end, he died flat on his back under a car that slipped from the jacks. Life can be so ironic...

    Steve Irving (aka the crocodile hunter) always said "if I ever die during recording something then people will just laugh and say "the crocs finally got him"". In the end he died during recording due to a freak accident involving a stingray. Supposedly they just bumped into each other by accident and the tail went strait though his chest. Life is neither fair or predictable.

  4. Re:That's a shame by cold+fjord · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I've had lots of opportunity.

    The question is, did you act on the opportunity? Did you really climb, jump, shoot the rapids, or whatever the opportunity was for? Many people have opportunities, not all take them. Besides ...

    Nothing says a nerd and a geek
    can't also be an adrenaline freak.

    There are pleasures to be had from both intellectual achievement and testing one's physical courage.

    “There is nothing more exhilarating than to be shot at with no result.” -- Winston Churchill

    --
    much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
  5. Re:look out below ! by IANAAC · · Score: 2, Insightful

    splat !

    Your comment pretty mirrors the (currently) 19 comments on the reg site.

    I suppose a lot of people deal with tragedy through humor, but I sure wouldn't want to be a surviving family member and read some of the comments posted so far.

    At least you did it anoncowardly.

  6. Re:look out below ! by wisnoskij · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Someone dying by definition cannot be a tragedy to the rest of the word. Tragedy implies not just life as usual.

    Though some philosophers maintain that life is a tragedy, so I guess they would disagree.
    Personally, I love Seneca's sentiment: “What need is there to weep over parts of life? The whole of it calls for tears.”

    Besides that is a pretty epic way to die.

    --
    Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
  7. Re:look out below ! by ihtoit · · Score: 4, Insightful

    no... the impact is what killed him. We are all subject to the effects of gravity 24/7. Difference is how far off the ground you are when you start your freefall.

    --
    Political debates have me rolling my eyes so much I think I got optical whiplash. I should sue. - Foamy The Squirrel
  8. Rich People problem's day by Frankie70 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Rich People problems day on Slashdot
    - Skydiving Accident Leaves Security Guru Cedric 'Sid' Blancher Dead At 37
    - Rigging Up Baby - the rise of extreme baby monitoring

  9. Re: look out below ! by rvw · · Score: 3, Insightful

    At least he died doing what he loved!

    I'd rather die at 73 mowing the lawn than at 37 while skydiving or having hot sex.