Vault 7: Michael Hastings Assassinated by CIA Remote Car Hack?

When I was reading about the recent leaks in the Vault 7 series I learned that the CIA was investigating the idea of hacking into a car's computer in order to crash the car at high speed, which would allow them to assassinate people without suspicion.

That made me think of Michael Hastings, who told a neighbor the night of his death that he thought something was wrong with his car and asked to borrow the neighbor's. The neighbor said no, and later that night his car crashed at a speed of around 100 mph.

Hours before dying in a fiery car crash, Rolling Stone journalist Michael Hastings told his neighbor he believed his Mercedes had been tampered with, according to a report.

Hastings, a swashbuckling war correspondent known for taking on powerful figures, had told several friends he believed the government was watching him in the weeks before his death on June 18 in Los Angeles.

But in a lengthy profile by LA Weekly, Hastings’ neighbor Jordanna Thigpen says he knocked on her door after midnight and asked to borrow her Volvo because he was afraid to drive his own car. "He was scared, and he wanted to leave town," she told the weekly newspaper. She declined, saying her car was in need of repairs.

Fox News

Another said, "Hastings' wreck might make sense on the freeway, but I doubt he'd be dumb enough to go 100 mph on Highland. He's not some dumb college kid." A community board on Reddit has already begun delving into possible conspiracy theories, from opinions that the car was either rigged to lose control or burst into flames at a certain time to brake wires being frayed.

Michael Hastings conspiracy theories: Web goes wild after NSA, CIA reporter killed in crash

Back then, there was talk of his car's computer being hacked. Now some people are picking up on this.

It was revealed today by the WikiLeaks’ Vault 7 leak that the Central Intelligence Agency may have car hacking capabilities, leading online conspiracists to further the claims that journalist Michael Hastings was murdered by the CIA. Hastings died on June 18, 2013, in a fiery high-speed automobile crash in his Mercedes C250 Coupé following the publication of “Why Democrats Love to Spy On Americans” on BuzzFeed. Hastings had been a vocal critic of the Obama administration. Following his death, former U.S. National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-terrorism Richard A. Clarke said that Hastings’ crash was consistent with a “car cyber attack.”

WikiLeaks Vault 7 Conspiracy: Michael Hastings Assassinated by CIA Remote Car Hack?

In his last article, "Why Democrats Love to Spy on Americans," he takes aim at their surveillance policies in an era before Snowden.

Why Democrats Love to Spy on Americans


The one problem with this theory is that the leaks say the CIA was starting to investigate the technology in 2014, while Michael Hastings died in 2013.

a reply to: darkbake

Cars have been hacked before so its not out of the realms of possibility . But . Why would you not just turn the ignition off , put the car into neutral if it starts going crazy on you .

Yet another reason the old classic cars are to be sought after! I don't think a 60's muscle car can be h4x0rd.

Source?

a reply to: darkbake

I can never look at high profile car accidents the same again. I won't be surprised if phones start detonating in your hands and your TV starts shooting lasers at you.

a reply to: darkbake

Are you a nutter? The CIA would never ever kill anybody! Countless tree hugging do-gooder liberals have told me so.

a reply to: darkbake



I really do appreciate my vintage saab daily-driver ...

originally posted by: hutch622
a reply to: darkbake

Cars have been hacked before so its not out of the realms of possibility . But . Why would you not just turn the ignition off , put the car into neutral if it starts going crazy on you .

A new Mercedes would most definitely have a push button ignition and theres a very good chance the shifter would be electronically controlled. Also the steering would more than likely be electronic. Seems very feasible to me.

originally posted by: hutch622
a reply to: darkbake

Cars have been hacked before so its not out of the realms of possibility . But . Why would you not just turn the ignition off , put the car into neutral if it starts going crazy on you .

I take it you've not been in any 2010+ model year cars- especially expensive ones, like a mercedes.


They don't have ignition switches anymore. They have FOBs you keep in your pocket- and a button on the dash. You don't unlock the doors- you walk up to the car and it senses the FOB. The moment you touch the car, it unlocks for you.

Even in the 90's, some cars with turbos would keep the engine running after you turned off the ignition to allow the turbo oil to properly cool.

Nowadays, it's all computer driven. The shifter lever isn't physically connected to the transmission- the ignition switch isn't connected to the starter. The throttle pedal isn't even connected to the engine- and I wouldn't be surprised if the brake pedal weren't connected to the brakes either.

A lot of traction control is to actuate the caliper on the wheel that is spinning free in order to force power from the open diff to the other wheel, even.


These new cars are a nightmare for anyone who wants actual control of their vehicle- and the computer systems, when coupled with the knowledge that our government has grown out of control, are even scarier.

I love my '85 toyota- but I see enough modern cars on the road that I know full well they could plow one right through my tin can if they wanted.

CIA, FBI, NSA and a few others all need to be shut down, dismantled, have most of their members jailed, and the remainder scattered to the wind. Problem is, there isn't any way to do that anymore- they're too fart out of control.

a reply to: lordcomac

The shifter lever isn't physically connected to the transmission- the ignition switch isn't connected to the starter. The throttle pedal isn't even connected to the engine- and I wouldn't be surprised if the brake pedal weren't connected to the brakes either.

Pretty sure the hand brake is a physical contact . Dont know about a mercedies but i can guarantee you mine will stop the car cold from any speed .

a reply to: lordcomac

An excellent reply to the uninformed about the possibilities of modern automobiles, and you barely scratched the surface.

a reply to: darkbake

Mystery grows: Journalist died prepping Obama exposé

Major probe tied to agent suspected of sanitizing president's passport records
Published: 08/29/2013 at 9:03 PM

www.wnd.com...

a reply to: hutch622

Mine isn't. It's an electronic emergency brake. And it's a Ford, not a mercedes.

a reply to: darkbake

You bring a very big subject for discussion, after the latest on the wikileaks revelations now this same issue can not longer be a conspiracy but a reality.

My husband and I have been debating this same thing, he drives a 350z older model I drive a more recent Mustang GT and to tell the truth we are not deciding to stay on older model car and never get into the smart cars ever.

This how we think about what is going on with the despicable and corrupted spying agencies.

So yes I believe that the CIA can kill and can target specific people to be murder and if this include Michael Hastings then it needs an investigation.

Because everything leaves a trail.

a reply to: MALBOSIA

If it has a computer it has capabilities that you will never know about. Think about, for example, that "electronic brake" locking it self up some day when you are at speed. You would have zero control and, possibly, if it had been mandated, the locks would lock or stay locked and you couldn't even jump out.

Sounds like a Steven King novel doesn't it?

For me, this seems to confirm what I had already thought:
If you know too much, and they think that you are going to spill the beans, the government will kill you.

I could believe that there have been drone strikes carried out in the CONUS (ostensibly blamed on gas leak explosions) to silence people. I am not saying that it has happened, just that I can believe that it has happened.
Our government is not above that.

a reply to: Rookseven

Source?

google it, there's probably a couple of million hits for CIA Remote Car Hacking, a almost undetectable means of assassination.

Their "technology" has been around and implemented decades before we even see it in consumer fashion. GPS is a great example. So, one has to assume that they have had the capability to control cars as soon as the manufacturers allowed remote internet access. Think, COMstar, Subaru Uplink, Chevy Onstar and a host of others. The ability to get into a vehicle's computer has been around longer than the CIA will ever admit.

Also, look into the fact that the police refused to allow investigators to thoroughly examine the car after said "accident" transpired.

Very telling.

originally posted by: SecondTierSuburbsGuy
a reply to: darkbake

Mystery grows: Journalist died prepping Obama exposé

Major probe tied to agent suspected of sanitizing president's passport records
Published: 08/29/2013 at 9:03 PM

www.wnd.com...

I always thought it was weird the folder his passport is kept in says 'POTUS PASSPORTS.' Does he have more than one?

Cars that old don't have computers to hack and if they can take control of your car then they could disable the ignition and add speed but I don't believe they could control the steering maybe lock the steering and then boom your dead

originally posted by: Rookseven
Source?