They can Hijack Your Car -Perhaps Michael Hastings had no control of his when he Died

After reading about the mysterious death of Michael Hastings here on ATS, several members comments that he just crashed and blew up made me wonder. Can "they" remotely control a car, causing it to lose brake function, speed up, etc?

It seems strange that an MSM/Government controlled publication like Forbes would come out with this story only a short time after that incident:

researchers at the University of Washington and the University of California, San Diego, experimenting on a sedan from an unnamed company in 2010, found that they could wirelessly penetrate the same critical systems Miller and Valasek targeted using the car’s OnStar-like cellular connection, Bluetooth bugs, a rogue Android app that synched with the car’s network from the driver’s smartphone or even a malicious audio file on a CD in the car’s stereo system. “Academics have shown you can get remote code execution,” says Valasek, using hacker jargon for the ability to start running commands on a system. “We showed you can do a lot of crazy things once you’re inside.”

The saying is, whatever tech that is obvious and available to the public is ten years behind what the government has, is even more frightening now.

One of the UCSD professors involved in those earlier tests, Stefan Savage, claims that wireless hacks remain possible and affect the entire industry: Given that attacks on driving systems have yet to be spotted outside of a lab, manufacturers simply haven’t fully secured their software, he says. “The vulnerabilities that we found were the kind that existed on PCs in the early to mid-1990s, when computers were first getting on the Internet,” says Savage.

I submit to those who said emphatically that a reporter with a huge trove of damaging info ready to break a big story on the destruction of the constitution simply "crashed" his car -even after telling friends and family he was being followed by the Feds, think again. There is every possibility in the world his brakes weren't functioning and he kept accelerating until he lost control.

In the meantime, Miller and Valasek argue that the best way to pressure car companies to secure their products is to show exactly what can be done with a multi-ton missile on wheels. Better to experience the panic of a digitally hijacked SUV now than when a more malicious attacker is in control. “If the only thing keeping you from crashing your car is that no one is talking about this,” says Miller, “then you’re not safe anyway.”

Remote controlled Cars

ColoradoJens

reply to post by ColoradoJens


I submit that attempting to kill someone by crashing their car is an inefficient method of assassination.

Too many variables.

reply to post by AlphaHawk


How, if it can be done, is it any more difficult than poisoning, shooting, strangling etc? All come with "variables". If you can take off the brakes and increase speed once the car is moving, what chance do they have?

CJ

reply to post by ColoradoJens


You're right.
In todays world it would be just as easy (or easier) to hack into their vehicles system as it would to poison, "suicide", shoot, etc etc.
I wouldn’t doubt it or be surprised.
Good info, thanks for digging it up.

reply to post by ColoradoJens


I just think there's no certainty in it.

People have survived horrific car crashes, so why would you leave something to chance if you want them dead?

It's just my opinion that an assignation attempt wouldn't be so convoluted. Real life isn't a Bond movie you know.

Originally posted by AlphaHawk
reply to post by ColoradoJens

 

I just think there's no certainty in it.

It's just my opinion that an assignation attempt wouldn't be so convoluted.

After looking into this a bit? I have to agree. Unless they planted something to help the situation along, it would be too much a crap shoot to see this happen by hacking. What could they actually hack?

Throttle is the only thing I can think of since steering is still entirely mechanical unless someone invented something really new on the high end luxury cars like this. I'd say there were absolutely no assurances it would burst into flames at all or that he would be killed, as it happens.

I can say the trucks I drove had 100% and totally computer controlled throttle. Nothing mechanical and the pedal on the floor is just a spring loaded computer control. Literally, in how it functions. Anyone know if these high end Mercedes are the same on throttle pedal?

Anyway.. I found this for support on just how big a crapshoot it would be. It's a Government report on vehicle fires and the problem they pose.

Of the 1.6 million fires reported each year in the USA, one out of five (300,000) are vehicle fires [1-4]. Three quarters of vehicle fires are caused by mechanical or electrical failures during normal operation, but these are not particularly deadly because the occupants are usually able to escape. Less than 10 % of vehicle fires are caused by collisions, but escape is more difficult in these situations, and collisions account for the overwhelming majority (60% to 75%) of vehicle fire fatalities [4, 5]. Vehicle fires cause some 3,000 injuries and claim some 500 lives per year in the USA, [2-4] about two thirds of which are due to front impact, side impact, or rollover and about one third of which result from other causes including rear impact [6-8].

Source

No sure thing at all, it would seem. He could have spun out to a wild throttle instead of head in and gone sideways into something. Perhaps not even critically hurt in that case. So many variables to consider deliberate action.

Did you guys catch this video? I didn't see in your posts. For #s sake, it just came out yesterday....

Sorry, let me explain:

It basicallt just shows how someone with the knowledge can hack your car.... and potentially make you crash.

Originally posted by ColoradoJens
reply to post by AlphaHawk

 

How, if it can be done, is it any more difficult than poisoning, shooting, strangling etc? All come with "variables". If you can take off the brakes and increase speed once the car is moving, what chance do they have?

CJ

Alpha hawk is right. Way too much work. That might only be used probably on very high security targets that have body guards and have constant protection where remoting in might be one of the few options. Anyone else would probably not be hard to a trained assassin.

reply to post by Mugen


Oh my god.... Never mind. I'm not entirely skeptical anymore. They *CAN* artificially and dramatically change the physical steering of the car.

You can keep your new cars. I like my Ford F-150 of early 90's vintage and my 10 year old blazer is starting to look like the safest thing I've seen.

I didn't realize the new cars could, under ANY circumstances, actually cause radical steering change by computer command...at speed or not...but definitely not do it AT speed. I had to see that to fully grasp the possibilities.

It's at the 2:30 mark or so, for everyone who wants to see what this can do. Imagine that with a spiked throttle command you're JUST starting to react to and in NO way expecting to happen with steering.

*Corrected counter mark for where he starts violently kicking the steering entirely by computer and explaining it would do a full rotation and more if not at highway speed at that moment.

These are hackers proving a point, and no one has drawn a connection to Michael Hastings....I'm actually a bit surprised by that failure to link the two.....Seems there were a ton of threads that questioned how a guy like that died in a strange crash when he had such a big appointment set.........throttle up.....engage left brake....tree.

Originally posted by pointr97
These are hackers proving a point, and no one has drawn a connection to Michael Hastings....I'm actually a bit surprised by that failure to link the two....

This fact was linked by me this morning on one of the earlier threads on this subject, which has gone un-noticed... There have been quite a few threads on Hastings over the past few weeks..
Someone probably even beat me to the punch.
However this is not new, hacking cars has been around for a couple of years now.. High end cars have had electronic steering, throttle and brakes for quite a few years now 10+.....

Earlier thread...
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Even earlier thread...
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Looks like all the naysayers in the old threads may want to do a little research....

reply to post by Mugen


Nice find, nothing shown here surprises me one bit.
thanks

reply to post by ColoradoJens

I am actually less inclined to believe Hastings crash was caused by hack after watching Forbes video. I was under the impression that a hack could not control steering, until watching this. Hastings was obviously controlling the steering. He kept the car straight, avoided two cars at Santa Monica light, tried to correct the path towards tree on median and avoided the first tree. These facts also make it difficult to believe it was a suicide attempt.

Since Richard Clarke said it was a potential cyber attack, I am pretty sure he knows that it was. Mr. Clarke has not been one to make allegations wildly. He has been selective about his accusations. I agree it would be an inefficient method of assassination. That is why explosives were added to the vehicle to explode on impact. This is observed on the Pizzeria Mozzarella surveillance video. It was reported by people on the block that called 911. Three out of seven 911 calls referred to the fire as an explosion.

The death by Mercedes had three benefits to the assassins. It eliminated Michael Hastings and his embarrassing story he was working on, supposedly about CIA Director Brennan. It sent an intimidating and graphic message to other investigative reporters, and all citizens. It attacks the reputation of Mercedes as a safe vehicle. One of Germany's best selling exports. The same country that had reacted strongly to Snowden's NSA leaks. May have been worth the effort to certain individuals. If true, they need to be convicted.

"Boston brakes" is your search word to discover the truth.
2nd line.