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Hackers Stole 600 Gallons of Gas From Detroit Gas Station, Report Says (gizmodo.com)

Posted by msmash on from the making-a-living dept.

Police in Detroit are looking for two suspects who allegedly managed to hack a gas pump and steal over 600 gallons of gasoline, valued at about $1,800. From a report: The theft took place in the middle of the day and went on for about 90 minutes, with the gas station attendant unable to thwart the hackers. The theft, reported by Fox 2 Detroit, took place at around 1pm local time on June 23 at a Marathon gas station located about 15 minutes from downtown Detroit. At least 10 cars are believed to have benefitted from the free-flowing gas pump, which still has police befuddled. Here's what is known about the supposed hack: Per Fox 2 Detroit, the thieves used some sort of remote device that allowed them to hijack the pump and take control away from the gas station employee. Police confirmed to the local publication that the device prevented the clerk from using the gas station's system to shut off the individual pump.

4 of 263 comments (clear)

  1. Manual Shut Off? by Drethon · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Seriously, I'm not big on the whole let the computer handle everything on important things, particularly something that is potentially safety critical. Manual shut off valves aren't hard.

    1. Re:Manual Shut Off? by Darinbob · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Or call the police. It shouldn't have taken 90 minutes for police to show up.

    2. Re:Manual Shut Off? by Anubis+IV · · Score: 4, Interesting

      When you pull up to a gas station and see an out of order placard on a pump, do you bother checking to see if free gas is being dispensed by it, or do you simply go to an open pump? For all I know, this problem is a common one, with none of us any the wiser.

    3. Re: Manual Shut Off? by jabuzz · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Don't know I have had a fire safety officer make people walk past a functioning exit from the building during a drill because it was not a recognized fire exit for the building. It was electrically operated and might fail in the event of a fire. Presumably he would stop someone climbing out the window on the ground floor if there was a fire outside the room they where in.