died on Thursday – but coroners did not give details
Barnaby Jack, a hacker who was due to present his findings on the
security vulnerabilities of implanted medical devices, has died.
The San Francisco medical examiner's office said Jack, 35, died in the
city on Thursday – but did not provide details on the circumstances
surrounding his death.
Jack had exposed a security flaw in insulin pumps that could be made
to dispense a fatal dose by a hacker 300ft away, pushing some medical
companies to review the security of these devices.
He was also a popular and respected figure in the information security
scene. Within that small scene, reverse engineers are especially
close, said Matthieu Suiche, a friend of Jack's and chief scientist at
CloudVolumes Inc in an email. "We pretty much all know each other, or
have lots of common friends," Suiche said. "It's almost like we all
grew up together."images
He added: "There isn't much to say except that Barnaby was one of the
rare people in InfoSec who was a brilliant researcher but also a good
friend to many of us."
Suiche met Jack at the Black Hat conference a few years ago and said
they had been really good friends since. He said he had drinks with
Jack and his girlfriend in San Francisco just over a week ago.
He called his friend "brilliant", and said Jack's latest research on
medical devices could help save the lives of many people. "In this
world full of people fearfully complying and worrying, very few people
are crazy enough to challenge the rules, to approach life in an
unconventional paradigm and to speak up to contribute to change this
world," Suiche said.
Jack was due to speak at the Black Hat conference, which starts
Saturday in Las Vegas. His presentation, "Implantable medical devices:
hacking humans," would have explained how these devices could be
compromised and would have suggested ways to improve device security.
Black Hat said the room his discussion was meant to take place will
instead be used as a place for his friends and colleagues to gather
and remember him on 1 August, when the session was set to take place.
Black Hat said in a statement:
We have lost a member of our family. Everyone would agree that the
life and work of Barnaby Jack are legendary and irreplaceable. Barnaby
had the ability to take complex technology and intricate research and
make it tangible and accessible for everyone to learn and grow from.
Beyond his work in our industry, Barnaby was an incredibly warm
hearted and welcoming individual with a passion for celebrating life.
We all have a hilarious and upbeat story about Barnaby. He is truly a
shining example of what we love about this community.
Black Hat will not be replacing Barnaby's talk on Thursday, Aug.
1. No one could possibly replace him, nor would we want them to. The
community needs time to process this loss. The hour will be left
vacant as a time to commemorate his life and work, and we welcome our
attendees to come and share in what we hope to be a celebration of his
life. Barnaby Jack meant so much to so many people, and we hope this
forum will offer an opportunity for us all to recognize the legacy
that he leaves behind.
Our deepest sympathies go out to Barnaby Jack's family and loved
ones. Words cannot adequately describe how much he will be missed, but
it is certain that Barnaby will NEVER be forgotten.
At the time of his death, Jack was director of embedded security
research at security firm IOActive. On Twitter, the company said:
"Lost but never forgotten our beloved pirate, Barnaby Jack has passed.
He was a master hacker and dear friend. Here's to you Barnes!"
Copyright http://www.guardian.co.uk/
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