Was Michael Hastings' Car Hacked? Richard Clarke Says It's Possible

[boston bean]

The peculiar circumstances of journalist Michael Hastings' death in Los Angeles last week have unleashed a wave of conspiracy theories.

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."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/24/michael-hastings-car-hacked_n_3492339.html

Simply posting a mainstream article from Huffpo stating a possibility of foul play, with comments from Richard Clark, is not conspiracy theory.

Especially, since it is true there that a car computer can be hacked.

[WovenGems]

1. Yea but

How do you get the car to explode? If the event doesn't lead to the death of the target then big problems result. Technologically possible but strategically the wrong way.

[Buzz Clik]

5. MIHOP. That's all you need to know.

Let it go. You-know-who from you-know-where is probably reading this!

[KurtNYC]

2. More detail

[WovenGems]

3. More details

How to get the car to explode thus making hacking a car a good way to assassinate. Nice conspiracy theory but weak on substance.

[Buzz Clik]

4. Is it possible it was not hacked?

Dr. Clairemont von Stupp, noted expert in declaring the obvious, said in following up Mr. Clarke's comments, "We have technology to do many things. Just because the technology exists to possibly 'hack' into Hastings's car is not proof that the technology was used. In the majority of cases, the most likely scenario is obvious one, the one with the least complexity and fewest assumptions. He probably had a tragic accident."

[boston bean]

6. Right. Ok.

[Buzz Clik]

7. Phase II: reconstructing the scene of the accident with chicken wire and plaster.

Can't wait.

[zappaman]

12. I miss Spooked911...

[Ikonoklast]

9. Hastings had a verifiable substance abuse problem, both drugs and alcohol.

Previous DUI and at-fault vehicular accidents due to impaired driving.

Occam's Razor comes to mind here.

[boston bean]

10. I'm not saying it didn't.

[Ikonoklast]

11. We shall soon know what the toxicology report holds.

But I already assume many will discount that, too.

It's all a conspiracy.

[Coyotl]

8. I'd be more concerned about his brain being hacked

as in somehow influenced to function improperly. This isaccomplished in many ways, even from a car in front of the "target" by releasing a gas stream. The common black bag methods are via food, drink, or smoking materials, or dispersing a vapor inside a room.

[Buzz Clik]

13. I know more than a few brains that require being hacked. Maybe just a soft reboot.

A defrag to help with noncontiguous files, flush out the malware, purge a couple of obvious viruses.

[ljm2002]

14. Thanks for this...

...I had no idea until yesterday about the car-hacking thing. Before that, Hastings' death seemed suspicious, but the question was how could it be done in that manner?

Then I saw a video of the DARPA woman describing how it can be done. Now we have Richard Clark weighing in. Now we know how it can be done.

BTW, it is very interesting to me that Clark would choose to weigh in on this incident. That tells me that he, too, is probably suspicious about it. Given his background and status, I hope the people who want to accuse us of wearing "tin foil hats" will be kept at bay.

But I'm not holding my breath.