The Michael Hastings Assassination: Done with N.S.A. Radio Pathway Tech?

Michael Hastings was preparing to do an Obama expose right before he was assassinated. He also feared that his car, which used an electronic operating system, was tampered with right before it crashed.

Now we have evidence emerging of N.S.A. technology that is able to use radio waves to hack into computers, even without an internet or satellite link.

Here are some sources.

N.S.A. Devises Radio Pathway into Computers

WASHINGTON — The National Security Agency has implanted software in nearly 100,000 computers around the world that allows the United States to conduct surveillance on those machines and can also create a digital highway for launching cyberattacks.

While most of the software is inserted by gaining access to computer networks, the N.S.A. has increasingly made use of a secret technology that enables it to enter and alter data in computers even if they are not connected to the Internet, according to N.S.A. documents, computer experts and American officials.

Michael Hastings Feared Car was Tampered with Before Fatal Crash

Only hours before his fatal car accident, journalist Michael Hastings allegedly told a neighbor he thought his car had been tampered with.

Hastings was killed on June 18 when the Mercedes he was driving slammed into a tree in Los Angeles.

There have been many questions about Hastings' death, and now a new wrinkle appears in an L.A. Weekly interview with Hastings' neighbor, Jordanna Thigpen. She claims the journalist was worried that his car was being tampered with shortly before his fateful drive.

Thigpen said that Hastings was "scared" and that nothing she could do would console him.

Other reports claim that Hastings had sent friends a panic-filled email expressing his fear of being investigated. Reports suggest that in the email Hastings was also worried about his friends being investigated.

This means that he took the time to actually go to his neighbor before getting into his car because he thought that it had been tampered with, on the exact same day and right before the exact trip he took where it started to speed up past 100 miles per hour on its own.



There is surveillance footage for you. You can watch that and you can tell that Michael Hastings is in that car screaming "Oh #!" as his car is obviously not in his control. Cars being driven by careful people do not suddenly go fast enough to explode when they accidentally hit something.

I know - I accidentally hit someone once a few times, even while anxious, and even when the police came, no one got cited because there was hardly any damage done to either vehicle.

I do not recall a time where I was anxious and driving and suddenly bumped into something and my car exploded.



Here is another video.

Mystery Grows: Journalist Died Prepping Obama Expose

NEW YORK – Before his death in a fiery car crash, Michael Hastings was preparing to publish a major investigative piece tied to the undercover agent who is suspected of sanitizing President Obama’s passport records prior to the 2008 presidential election.

So why were Obama's passport records being purged? Here, in this tiny thread, we have a motive for his assassination, we have a weapon (the mechanism) for his assassination, we even have video evidence.

What I don't get is that elements within the government can create real documents/passports/ID's/ect, ect if they want to. Undercover agents are routinely given actual, government issued false identification. They can be issued real passports, real driver's licenses and real state-issued, falsified birth certificates.

If they can do this, why can't the POTUS?

reply to post by MystikMushroom


I honestly think that our current President works or has worked for an intelligence agency. I find it highly unlikely that he is simply a Freshman senator who worked as a constitutional law professor first. What is going on with Obama in general is super sketchy.

He had to have connections in order to beat Hillary Clinton in the primaries, and he had to have think tank resources to write the speeches he wrote that got him elected. They were meant to get him elected, not to form his policy.

Although I don't understand the point you are making in your post, sorry - I thought you were supporting the O.P. -

Are you suggesting that Michael Hastings wasn't investigating what he said he was investigating? He was considered one of the top reporters in the world prior to his death, so I don't think he would be mistaken about either the importance of his story, what his story was about, or anything like that.

He doesn't seem to have been mistaken about his car being tampered with or being dangerous to drive, either, as evidenced by the surveillance video. In fact, I would call his track record pretty accurate. Asks to borrow his neighbor's car once, car explodes the same night.

There is already evidence that Obama likes to tamper with documents concerning his location, for example, even though the birth certificate thing was considered "not cool" it still brought up a lot of questions.

I voted for Obama by the way, but I don't see how that's relevant to whether or not he was involved in the Michael Hastings assassination or is a sleeper agent.

reply to post by MystikMushroom


your mistake is expecting unevidenced conspiracy throries to be logical

reply to post by ignorant_ape


Are you talking about the one where I provided evidence for the N.S.A. having the ability to tamper with Michael Hastings car, a video showing the crash, witness testimony saying he was worried about his car having been tampered with right before the crash, and even a snippet of what he was investigating right before?

Or are you talking about what Michael Hastings was investigating? I don't know much about what he was investigating. But if you were somehow suggesting I didn't have evidence in my O.P., could you at least bring up some legitimate criticism? And I think you are mistaken, because the whole O.P. was almost entirely composed of evidence with less speculation than sources, in fact.

Because this post is in response to people who have said in the past that there wouldn't be a way to hack into Michael Hasting's car without wi-fi or a satellite link, and I just provided a mechanism for it, that happens to be employed by the N.S.A. as well already. So that was using evidence right there...

reply to post by darkbake

Now we have evidence emerging of N.S.A. technology that is able to use radio waves to hack into computers, even without an internet or satellite link.

You may have missed the detail, but they aren't "hacking into computers via radio waves", they're accessing already compromised computers that the NSA previously installed a tiny radio in.

It seems like there are simpler assassination methods than getting access to Hastings' car's computer, installing a discoverable (both before and after the fact) device, then knowing where he's going to be at some given point, and uploading instructions to lock out the steering and brakes and give 'er the gas. And then hope that nothing goes wrong, whereby the car doesn't crash and your nefarious deeds are discovered.

reply to post by adjensen


That is true - I didn't miss the detail - that is an important detail. You can't hack into a computer with radio waves without a receiver. I guess I assumed people knew that...

I've built computers before and have a computer science minor - maybe I came across wrong - I'm suggesting that when his car was tampered with, a radio receiver was placed in there using similar technology to the ones mentioned in the article. That way, his car could be tampered with by radio waves. That's why it is important that his car was tampered with. If it hadn't been tampered with, it couldn't have had a radio receiver put in.

If the N.S.A. is already able to install radio receivers into computers when they are manufactured, there is no reason why they couldn't install one into Michael Hasting's car on demand.

What I am saying, is the protocols are already in place. Check this out.

The technology, which the agency has used since at least 2008, relies on a covert channel of radio waves that can be transmitted from tiny circuit boards and USB cards inserted surreptitiously into the computers.

In some cases, they are sent to a briefcase-size relay station that intelligence agencies can set up miles away from the target.

The N.S.A. actually uses briefcase relay stations that can be set up miles away from the target.

that allows the United States to conduct surveillance on those machines and can also create a digital highway for launching cyberattacks.

While most of the software is inserted by gaining access to computer networks, the N.S.A. has increasingly made use of a secret technology that enables it to enter and alter data in computers even if they are not connected to the Internet, according to N.S.A. documents, computer experts and American officials.

And this mechanism of radio wave hacking would allow for an operative using one of the existing briefcase relay stations to enter and alter data in the car's computer even without an internet connection, which is important because Michael Hasting's car didn't have one.



This is pretty simple. It is probably what everyone assumed happened - but the difference is, now we have evidence that this is, in fact, a technique used by the N.S.A. - it isn't just a conspiracy or possible technique, it is a technique actively being used in the field.

So if someone says "they can't have hacked into his car" that is an invalid argument - not only is there a way for it to have happened, the methodology behind his assassination actually points towards N.S.A. involvement because they are the ones using this kind of protocol -

I'm saying that the fact this method was used can pinpoint the assassin in a similar manner to how a murderer can be found using behavioral analysis.

reply to post by darkbake


I'm not saying it's not possible, I just think that it's so complicated that it is highly improbable.

If some three letter agency wanted him dead, he'd be far more likely to have a convenient heart attack or drug overdose. There's plenty of those going around.

Some cars come with features like starting the car from your cell phone.

They can be hacked.

Maybe they didn't have to tamper.

reply to post by adjensen


Well the N.S.A. doesn't operate in heart attacks. It is an agency full of tech geeks, not medics. They would actually prefer a complicated assassination -

reply to post by xuenchen


Huffington Post: Was Michael Hasting's Car Hacked?

Now there's another theory to contribute to the paranoia: According to a prominent security analyst, technology exists that could've allowed someone to hack his car. Former U.S. National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-terrorism Richard Clarke told The Huffington Post that what is known about the single-vehicle crash is "consistent with a car cyber attack."

Clarke said, "There is reason to believe that intelligence agencies for major powers" -- including the United States -- know how to remotely seize control of a car.

"What has been revealed as a result of some research at universities is that it's relatively easy to hack your way into the control system of a car, and to do such things as cause acceleration when the driver doesn't want acceleration, to throw on the brakes when the driver doesn't want the brakes on, to launch an air bag," Clarke told The Huffington Post. "You can do some really highly destructive things now, through hacking a car, and it's not that hard."

"So if there were a cyber attack on the car -- and I'm not saying there was," Clarke added, "I think whoever did it would probably get away with it."

I think this is actually the article that I read back in June that made me think along these lines. So you can see, his car crash was consistent with a cyber attack according to expert analysis.

"I'm not a conspiracy guy. In fact, I've spent most of my life knocking down conspiracy theories," said Clarke, who ran afoul of the second Bush administration when he criticized the decision to invade Iraq after 9/11. "But my rule has always been you don't knock down a conspiracy theory until you can prove it [wrong]. And in the case of Michael Hastings, what evidence is available publicly is consistent with a car cyber attack. And the problem with that is you can't prove it."

Clarke said the Los Angeles Police Department likely wouldn't have the expertise to trace such an attack. "I think you'd probably need the very best of the U.S. government intelligence or law enforcement officials to discover it."

So what I'm showing here is further evidence along the lines of where Clarke is already going - I'm showing the link to a recent discovery (within the past 24 hours) of N.S.A. protocols and devices that exist that would be consistent with this particular cyber attack.

Back when Clarke made the comments to the Huffington Post, he didn't have access to the documents detailing the N.S.A. suitcase relay stations used for mobile and targeted radio surveillance, or he might have mentioned it.

Also, check this quote out.

In the days before his death, Hastings was reportedly working on a story about a lawsuit filed by Jill Kelley, who was involved in the scandal that brought down Gen. David Petraeus, according to the LA Times. KTLA reported that Hastings told colleagues at the news site BuzzFeed that he feared the FBI was investigating him. On June 20, the FBI denied that any investigation was under way.

"I believe the FBI when they say they weren't investigating him," said Clarke. "That was very unusual, and I'm sure they checked very carefully before they said that."

This was back in June. Maybe he wasn't being investigated by the FBI at all, but the NSA - yes, that is speculative. Yet he thinks he is being investigated by someone, assumes the FBI, and then the FBI confirms that it wasn't them. So really, this can be viewed in a different light if you consider he was wrong about the agency involved.

reply to post by darkbake


What I find more interesting is one sentence from that article.

"In most cases, the radio frequency hardware must be physically inserted by a spy, a manufacturer or an unwitting user."manufacturer

So now we need to know which manufacturers (computer,car, etc.) are placing this technology in their products.

reply to post by ohioriver


You picked out another really important keyword there - this shows that manufacturers are either compliant with this, or have been infiltrated.

Reuters: Secret Contract Tied NSA and Security Industry Pioneer

(Reuters) - As a key part of a campaign to embed encryption software that it could crack into widely used computer products, the U.S. National Security Agency arranged a secret $10 million contract with RSA, one of the most influential firms in the computer security industry, Reuters has learned.

Documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden show that the NSA created and promulgated a flawed formula for generating random numbers to create a "back door" in encryption products, the New York Times reported in September. Reuters later reported that RSA became the most important distributor of that formula by rolling it into a software tool called Bsafe that is used to enhance security in personal computers and many other products.

So the precedent already exists for software back-doors - and apparently the keyword slip there shows that there are manufacturers already doing this - good catch.

-----

This thread was actually in response to another O.P., KnightFire who wrote this thread:

NSA Devises Radio Pathway into Computers

So I guess with this thread, I was exploring targeted, field operation usage of the device. But technology is progressing pretty fast - that's something else I wanted to say - even between June when Michael Hastings was assassinated and today, there was no mention of these radio frequency hacks.

Think about it - that means that if your computer is compromised, you might not even be able to save it by cutting the cord to the net. And since cars have operating systems now, that could be of similar use to a car bomb - except for one thing - if a lot of famous people start getting killed in the same manner, that could become a bit suspicious.

reply to post by darkbake


I have done a lot of reading about this Hastings and his tragic demise. He was doing an expose. There is no proof it was about Obama. It may have had to with his administration. I have heard it had more to do with FBI and NSA then a single person. If you have proof it had to do with Obama please present it. For as well respected as Hastings was.... He had a history of mental problems. He was in a institution before. He reported to friends he had been hearing voices before his. " accident". His drug use had increased ten fold or more. Look the accident was suspicious without a doubt. Hastings was in the middle of a full fledged break with reality mentally however. There is some question if he may have been schitzoprenic. Many of the things he was going through cause extreme paranoia. Look up paranoid schitzoprenic. Hastings sadly had many of the symptoms that are associated with it. He also had many of the symptoms of severe delusions. His extreme drug use before he died was not helping anything. I do not have the answers.... He was a smart enough guy and experienced journalist that if he had something on someone or some organization he easily and logically would have set up a safe guard if anything should happen to him.

As far as an expose on Obama... I have serious doubts that is true. He was working on Benghazi or he was doing something on FBI as far as I have been able to figure out. His mental shape is very troubling when you start looking into this... Even his friends admit he was in many ways losing touch with reality.

reply to post by GArnold


Thanks for bringing that up, GArnold. I was wondering myself about his investigation having to do with directly with Obama. The reason I mentioned it is because that is what the article I turned up mentioned. I do recall reading other articles in the past, however, that seem to imply more towards what you mention here.

I'm glad you brought that up, in fact I was just returning to the forum in order to try to figure out a way to approach this particular issue. As for his paranoia, and possibly even schizophrenia, although that is a different issue than the one in the O.P. because I don't think it caused his car accident, is it possible that it contributed to his paranoia and mental instability?

Certain drugs that cause paranoia might not be a good idea to take while investigating 3-letter organizations, I can assure you on that - if you have any more information on what he was investigating, please add it to the thread if you wish -

The truth is, if he was becoming unstable, he may have presented a risk in the eyes of the Administration - he was in communication with the Executive Branch and others of rank - his expose on Afghanistan in Rolling Stone contributed to the General Petraeus having to step down -

I could easily see this being an option, and because of the tech involved, the masses as a whole would not even bother taking the possibility of it being an assassination seriously, even though evidence shows it, and the method is clearly laid out as near standard procedure for N.S.A. techies.

However, I still think that if the Administration was involved in the assassination of a U.S. reporter on U.S. soil this shows some serious moral problems. There have been increasing reports of Obama and his administration not taking moral standards such as this seriously.

But I think that it would be in the character of the current Administration to decide that this was a legitimate option due to the decreasing mental health of Hastings, in particular.

However, how far does everyone want to go down that route. It is a pointedly different political system than the freedoms this country was founded on, and even the freedoms the world expected after World War II as part of the Geneva Convention.

GArnold
reply to post by darkbake

 

I have done a lot of reading about this Hastings and his tragic demise. He was doing an expose. There is no proof it was about Obama. It may have had to with his administration. I have heard it had more to do with FBI and NSA then a single person. If you have proof it had to do with Obama please present it.

He was a smart enough guy and experienced journalist that if he had something on someone or some organization he easily and logically would have set up a safe guard if anything should happen to him.

He was working on Benghazi or he was doing something on FBI as far as I have been able to figure out.

I had never heard about the passport being the main thing that he was investigating before I found that search.

If that is what has people hung up over this thread, I considered that a minor detail. The main point of the thread is exactly what is written in the title. Nothing more.

I'll even go as far as to check that link as a legitimate source, because for one, it isn't important in the argument I was trying to lay out for the thread's premise.

The only reason I brought it up was because I was trying to find out what he had been researching prior to the assassination, not in order to say it was directly involved with Obama. However, the Google search I did consistently brought this up as the main thing he had been reporting on, even though Google searches in prior months didn't even mention it.

The previous research I had seen was of him reporting on the same things that you bring up here - he released a tweet around a week before that he was working on a major story involving intelligence agencies. One sec.

adjensen
reply to post by darkbake

 

Now we have evidence emerging of N.S.A. technology that is able to use radio waves to hack into computers, even without an internet or satellite link.

You may have missed the detail, but they aren't "hacking into computers via radio waves", they're accessing already compromised computers that the NSA previously installed a tiny radio in.

It seems like there are simpler assassination methods than getting access to Hastings' car's computer, installing a discoverable (both before and after the fact) device, then knowing where he's going to be at some given point, and uploading instructions to lock out the steering and brakes and give 'er the gas. And then hope that nothing goes wrong, whereby the car doesn't crash and your nefarious deeds are discovered.

And then who's to say that the NSA didn't already have that tiny radio in his car already, being that he was considered one of the best journalists in the world. It would kind of make sense to bug his car a long time ago, just to snoop on what the snoop is up to. Just one of the many ways of gathering Intel, then when this guy gets to deep in something, they already have one fail safe way installed to pull the plug on him if they choose.

reply to post by gunshooter


Exactly what gunshooter says. Also, the research I did into the briefcase they use for field ops suggests that they routinely target and then implant the microchip relay onto devices owned by persons of interest, in a targeted manner, not simply relying on mass-production.

It seems like the operatives use a field briefcase radio relay in conjunction with an implantable chip that can be placed on technology on-demand, not just during manufacturing.

As someone who has worked with computers before, it would not be that hard. If the device is made to be inserted during manufacturing, there is no reason it couldn't be inserted at any other time. It is a chip that apparently can either be hooked into a USB interface or connected directly onto the motherboard.

reply to post by MystikMushroom


All right... here you go Mystik. What was Michael Hastings working on prior to his car crash?

An Expose of CIA Director John Brennan

Daily Mail: UK

Renowned investigative journalist Michael Hastings was working on story about CIA Chief John Brennan at the time of his mysterious death.

Brennan has has been described in secret emails from the President of CIA contractor Stratfor as being on a 'witch hunt' of investigative journalists.

The day he was killed, Hastings sent an email to his editors alerting them that the federal government was investigating him and interviewing his 'close friends and associates'

Wow... that one is new as well. Every time I do a Google Search, I swear, it shows a different thing he was researching.

I just want you to know that although I think Obama may have been involved, I think he was involved secondary to intelligence agencies, and that the main point of this thread was to show that there are new documents showing the N.S.A. had the tech to pull off the assassination.

I still can't get a handle on exactly what Hastings was doing before he died, although I do agree that he was probably experiencing deteriorating mental health, I see growing evidence of an assassination.

reply to post by darkbake


Darkbake. I was not at all trying to say his mental Illness if indeed he was suffering had anything to do with the accident itself. If it explains anything it might explain his paranoia in the days leading up to his accident. I do personally think he was killed... I do not even think it had to do directly with what he was working on. He made a lot of very powerful enemies that hold grudges for a long time. I would have to investigate your ideas on the how his "accident" was achieved. My first thought is it would seemingly be a very complex way to do it. Let's say for a second it may have been a three letter agency. There are very much cheaper ways to make it look like he was accident (ed) than what your suggesting... I think although I am not sure. It seems at first thought it would require more people knowing then was really required. It would seem like there were too many working parts that had to work correctly for them to pull it off in the manner of your theory. I am quite sure that if the CIA or whoever could do it much cheaper and with less involvement of a number of people then what your suggesting. I am not saying your wrong by any means.... I do not know. Logic is telling me it was done in another fashion with as few people knowing as possible. Your theory is very interesting however and it is very much possible. My first thought is it seems like an overly complex way to make happen something they could achieve in a cheaper and more secure way by doing some-other way. Just my two cents.