Technology
Barnaby Jack, a celebrated computer hacker who could force a bank ATM to spit out cash and sparked safety improvements in medical devices, has died, The San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office said.
Jack died at his home in San Francisco Thursday. The cause of death is still under investigation, said San Francisco Deputy Coroner Kris Barbrich.
The thirtysomething techie was scheduled to speak about hacking pacemakers and other wireless implantable medical devices on Aug. 1 at the Black Hat conference, a well-known gathering of security experts, in Las Vegas. The headline of his talk was, "Implantable Medical Devices: Hacking Humans," according to a synopsis on the Black Hat conference website.
Jack planned to reveal software that uses a common transmitter to scan for and "interrogate" individual medical implants, the website said.
The topic is reminiscent of the second season of the TV drama "Homeland," when terrorists kill the vice president by hacking into his heart device. Jack planned to discuss ways manufacturers could improve the security of the devices.
The hacking community expressed shock as the news of his death spread via Twitter early on Friday.
"Wow ... Speechless," tweeted mobile phone hacker Tyler Shields.
Jack's most recent employer, the cyber security consulting firm IOActive Inc, said on its Twitter account: "Lost but never forgotten our beloved pirate, Barnaby Jack has passed."
Jennifer Steffens, the CEO of IOActive, Inc., called Jack one of the most accomplished security researchers. He dedicated his career to exploiting weaknesses in onboard computers in cars, automated teller machines and other so-called "embedded devices" so that they can be better protected.
"A truly visionary man in many ways, Barnaby's recent critical research into the safety of medical devices such as pacemakers leaves behind a legacy that will never be forgotten," Steffens said in a statement.
"IOActive will be working with the industry as a whole to ensure the advancements Barnaby started in this field will continue saving lives for years to come," she added.
Jack gained much of his fame when he demonstrated his ability to hack stand-alone ATMs at the 2010 Black Hat conference. He was able to hack them in two ways – remotely and using physical keys that come with the machines.
During his talk entitled "Jackpotting ATMs," he didn't go into detail about how he hacked the machines remotely, saying his goal was not to teach people how to hack ATMs but to get manufacturers to be proactive about implementing fixes.
"Barnaby had the ability to take complex technology and intricate research and make it tangible and accessible for everyone to learn and grow from," Black Hat said in a statement.
Jack's passion for hacking sometimes got him into trouble.
In 2012, he connected his laptop to a gold bullion dispensing machine at a casino in Abu Dhabi, according to fellow hacker Tiffany Strauchs Rad. She said Jack had permission from a hotel manager to hack the machine but security intervened.
It turned out the hotel did not actually own the gold machine and the American Embassy had to be called in to help resolve the misunderstanding, Rad said.
"He would hack everything he touched," she said.
The Black Hat conference said it will not replace Jack's talk, but instead leave the slot open so people can commemorate his life and work.
He is survived by his mother and sister in New Zealand and girlfriend in California
Al Jazeera and wire services
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