Journalist Michael Hastings is dead at 33

[stickdog99]

Michael Hastings called it: 'The Obama administration has clearly declared war on the press'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT6YiTBjEhI

Published on Jun 20, 2013

Cenk, Jayar Jackson, politics blogger and journalism professor Farai Chideya, and "TYT University" host John Iadarola discuss government surveillance of journalists.
Tune in Mon - Thursday at 7e/4p on Current TV

Wow, but this had to be an accident for sure. Right, everybody?

[Nordic]

http://www.gizmag.com/vehicle-computer- ... cks/15156/

Automobile computer systems successfully hacked

By Paul Ridden

May 20, 2010

Researchers have managed to hack into vehicle computer systems and remotely take control of a car on the move

The alarming number of safety recalls appearing in headlines of late is worrying enough. Now researchers have shown that it's possible to take away driver control of a moving vehicle by remotely hacking into relatively insecure computer systems common in modern automobiles. The team managed to break into key vehicle systems to kill the engine, apply or disable the brakes and even send cheeky messages to radio or dashboard displays.

Many of the safety, efficiency and performance improvements seen in today's automobiles have been achieved with the help of the numerous computerized systems monitoring and controlling various aspects of what makes up a modern car. According to an article in IEEE Spectrum last year, an "S-class Mercedes-Benz requires over 20 million lines of code alone" and "contains nearly as many ECUs as the new Airbus A380 (excluding the plane’s in-flight entertainment system)." The author notes that cars will soon "require 200 million to 300 million lines of software code."

The search for security holes

With the vast majority of registered cars in the U.S. having key components controlled by computer technology and completely autonomous vehicles currently in development, a couple of research teams from the Computer Science and Engineering departments of the University of Washington and the University of California San Diego decided to fill a gap in automotive security research and look at whether such systems were vulnerable to the kind of attacks which have plagued Internet-connected computers for years.

Coming together as the Center for Automotive Embedded Systems Security, the Washington team led by Professor Tadayoshi Kohno and the San Diego team led by Professor Stefan Savage first bought a couple of 2009 test cars containing "a large number of electronically-controlled components and a sophisticated telematics system."

Direct access to internal systems was achieved by connecting a laptop to the on-board diagnostics port, which is now mandatory in the United States and "provides direct and standard access to internal automotive networks." Attached to these networks are all sorts of sensors, diagnostics and wireless systems - many of which can be directly upgraded by a user - which could be used to attack or control automotive subsystems.

The research team then developed Controller Area Network (CAN) protocol sniffing software to locate, observe, monitor and subsequently take advantage of security weaknesses to bypass rudimentary protection within the car and take over aspects of control from the driver. Perhaps more worryingly, they also managed to plant malicious code which would completely erase its tracks after any crash.


Systems failure

For the actual experiments, components were stripped out and bench tested under laboratory conditions, in a stationary vehicle and with live road tests on a closed track. The team managed to bring a wide range of systems under external control, from the engine to brakes to locks to the instrument panel to (the first to fall) the radio and its display. The attackers posted messages, initiated annoying sounds and even left the driver powerless to control radio volume.

The Instrument Panel Cluster/Driver Information Center faired no better, as well as cheeky messages, the team altered the fuel gauge and speedometer readings, adjusted panel illumination and in one experiment, a 60-second countdown clock was displayed on the dashboard. When time ran out, the engine died and the door locks engaged. Subsequent hacks took over the Engine Control Module which lead to uncontrollable engine revving, readout errors and complete disabling of the engine.

As if the spirit of John Carpenter's "Christine" was alive and well, the team was also able to "lock and unlock the doors; jam the door locks by continually activating the lock relay; pop the trunk; adjust interior and exterior lighting levels; honk the horn (indefinitely and at varying frequencies); disable and enable the window relays; disable and enable the windshield wipers; continuously shoot windshield fluid; and disable the key lock relay to lock the key in the ignition."

Even the Electronic Brake Control Module was no match for the onslaught, with both individual and sets of brakes locked up at a whim. Equally worrying, the researchers were also able to completely disengage the brakes "even with car’s wheels spinning at 40 MPH while on jack stands" in the lab and then out on the test track (a de-commissioned airport runway) "forcibly activate the brakes, lurching the driver forward and causing the car to stop suddenly." The track test car had a laptop connected to the CAN bus via the OBD-II port which allowed a chase vehicle's laptop to wirelessly control in-car systems.

Open to attack

The research team concluded by saying that they "have endeavored to comprehensively assess how much resilience a conventional automobile has against a digital attack mounted against its internal components. Our findings suggest that, unfortunately, the answer is 'little'."

The team had "expected to spend significant effort reverse-engineering, with non-trivial effort to identify and exploit each subtle vulnerability. However, we found existing automotive systems - at least those we tested - to be tremendously fragile. Indeed, our simple fuzzing infrastructure was very effective and to our surprise, a large fraction of the random packets we sent resulted in changes to the state of our car."

As more manufacturers announce intentions to open up vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications networks to third party development, the potential attack window could open even further. It is hoped that after the research paper, entitled "Experimental Security Analysis of a Modern Automobile", is presented at the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy in Oakland that manufacturers will take measures to tighten automotive system security.

About the Autho
While Paul is loath to reveal his age, he will admit to cutting his IT teeth on a TRS-80 (although he won't say which version). An obsessive fascination with computer technology blossomed from hobby into career before the desire for sunnier climes saw him wave a fond farewell to his native Blighty in favor of Bordeaux, France. He's now a dedicated newshound pursuing the latest bleeding edge tech for Gizmag. All articles by Paul Ridden

[barracuda]

Wow, but this had to be an accident for sure. Right, everybody?

It didn't have to be, but it might have been.

Unless the coroner finds evidence of wrongful death and releases that evidence to the public, this case is closed. No signs of foul play, the cops already said it. I predict the toxicology report will come back dirty, alcohol impairment or scrips. So it's all over but the residual gnashing of teeth.

At least some of the commentary designed to stifle conspiracy speculation on this story comes from people who are genuinely grieving, journalists who knew Hastings and abhor the thought of his life becoming a cypher for the knowing nods that accompany the voicing of certain proper names in certain circles. I can only imagine the horrible, sinking feeling that must arrive when a loved one dies horribly only to be re-animated over and over by the internet. And can you blame them? I mean, I'm not sure i'd want to spend eternity bundled with Dorothy Kilgallen. Wasn't she on Hollywood Squares or something? At least line him up with Gary Webb or Danny Casolaro, whether or not you think they were offed. Because right now we're in that place where it doesn't matter if they were or if they weren't. We can use them, that's all that matters now. We can circle jerk Hasting's car crash until his name is synonymous with the conspiracy, a watchword for how powerful they are. They have your most private messages stored, they know who you're calling and, yes, they are driving your car. Hiding in secret, they control even the mildest escalators of the world. They can and will hack into most household tools and appliances down to your electric toothbrush. No, really - they can.

Shit's fucked up.

I hope the work he did isn't overshadowed by his death, like what happened to Gary Webb. Shit, the trail of the world's biggest drug dealer is all just common knowledge now, the banks launder money for the cartels, the enlisted men stand guard at the Afghan opium fields, and everybody knows it and sits on their hands. Gary Webb? he's just The Guy Who Shot His Own Head Twice. Eyeroll.

"That story isn't going to die as long as there's a real reporter alive, and there are a lot of them alive."

She had no idea. Those reporters are still on the case today.

I really don't see why someone with the facility to wirelessly overide the controls on your 2013 Mercedes C-class 250 couldn't have simply nullified Hastings the modern, NSA-style blackmail way. A car crash just seems so old-fashioned somehow, like a plot turn from The Big Sleep.

During filming, allegedly neither the director nor the screenwriters knew whether chauffeur Owen Taylor was murdered or had killed himself. They sent a cable to Chandler, who told a friend in a later letter: "They sent me a wire ... asking me, and dammit I didn't know either".

Once you're into the movie, though, it doesn't matter. Owen Taylor needed to die to set the balls rolling. The plot can't play out without a body under the pier.

I have read almost every single word this guy has written this week, he is a man of high moral character and conscience not some crazed maniac that would go for a high speed joy ride and blow red lights, give me a fucking break.

He's also a journalist, a thirty-three year old war correspondent, driven, very successful, his fiance was killed in Iraq, and to top it all off he's a journalist. Do you think it would be out of the realm of possibility that he drank hard spirits on occasion? I have never heard of a teetotaling war corespondent, not that I've been particularly listening for one. But it would be uncharacteristic.

And I don't think driving fast or even with measured amounts of occasional recklessness is necessarily suicidal, or requires of the driver that he become a crazed maniac. Sometimes it's just exhilarating, and sometimes it helps get the dust out. Driving fast is fun.

His colleagues are pissing me off, just writing this shit off. So far at least, maybe that will change soon.

A generous appraisal would consider their grief as mitigating. They're human and they're sad their friend is dead. Even if you're right, they don't have to want to hear about it. On the other hand, they're journalists, so it's a good bet someone's told them what to say.

Here's the state of the roadway entering the Melrose intersection going south. Looks pretty crapped out to me.



I guess I wouldn't want to hit that mess traveling three figures. But realistically I have no idea how fast the car was going. The witness says the car was hitting top end, but that means nothing. Top end on the C250 is over a hundred and thirty or more.



I don't think the car has to malfunction for there to be a crash. I don't think it's safe at all to drive a hundred miles an hour on that stretch of North Highland. It's clearly posted at thirty-five.

Anyway, it doesn't matter. In a month or two no one will reference Michael Hastings around here except to make the point in passing how surely the black hats pulled his card.



^^ I keep reading the word "pick" as "fuck". Can't seem to unsee.

This is a great example of what RI can do when we all work together and not against eachother, a lot of good info in this thread that could be used to help get to the bottom of this MURDER.

One thing I know about this situation is: I don't get to know. Someone I can't trust is going to make a pronouncement I will find profoundly unsatisfying, and from then on it'll be a matter of faith, if it's not already. Yes, that's a dreary, even defeatist attitude, but I have it, it's mine, and you can't take it away from me without some very powerful people going to jail for a very long time.

There is an upside, however small: if it was an accident, that's terrible. But that won't stop me from holding the bad guys responsible. I mean, even if they didn't waste Hastings, think about all the poor fuckers they did kill that we don't even know about. So I don't much care if it's true or not. Outrage is justified here even if it's misplaced. It's a gimme.

My current theory is that Duncan Boothby dropped a dime. It is war, after all.

[Forgetting2]

All due respect Barracuda, but you're more depressing than the Afghan war and death of Michael Hastings put together. You don't have to say it. I got your response above

[Nordic]

Of course we're not going to have that satisfaction, Barracuda. That's why we're here, in this backwater of the Internet, talking to each other.

We're a club who tries to figure out things for ourselves because NOBODY ELSE IS GOING TO DO IT FOR US.

And yeah, we know a hell of a lot, and there's not a damn thing any of us can do about it. Which is why, sometimes, I leave for a while.

Some of us just have a compulsion for this.

I think that I am, by nature, in my soul of souls, a journalist (although if I were, I might have to avoid using cliches like "soul of souls"). I just want to know the truth about everything. Just can't help it.

And the most frightening nightmare I ever had in my life, before I ever came to this place, involved learning too much of the truth. It still gives me the willies to think about it.

[Lord Balto]

FWiW, @1:43 of the vid:
Q: “You saw the sparks prior to him hitting anything? You just saw it at the bottom of the car?”
A: “Yes, plenty from the beginning, way before he crossed the light.”

Not to sound like a skeptic, but I have seen sparks coming from under a car as a result of a dragging muffler. However, I would not expect to see this on a new car.

[Lord Balto]

Modern accelerators are "drive by wire" meaning they're controlled electronically (which is how cruise control is employed). I don't know about his C250, but most brake systems have a basic manual component with electronic additions (such as anti-lock features). However, we know that brake cables can be cut, brake fluid drained, etc., so brakes don't necessarily require an electronic interface to be compromised by an "adversary."

As the proof of concept papers point out, there's all sorts of ways that computer-dependent cars are vulnerable to being "hacked."

one more edit -- i've driven on all kinds of roads at 100+ mph, and you don't automatically just loose control crash and die from simply reaching that speed. 100 mph in that car would likely feel pretty tame. What I find strange about the speed is that, as a car enthusiast, you generally find an open space, let loose, hit a turn or two and celebrate. I agree with the poster who said there's "no reason" to drive that fast unless you were trying to kill yourself or not in control of your vehicle. If he were trying to lose someone tailing him, he'd have taken turns for evasion -- but this wasn't that. This was straight as an arrow.

Correct its not the speed I was referring to as being out of control it was likely his inability to slow down, no brakes or whatever. The sparks seen are probably from the car bottoming out, small bumps in a road will do that at high speed and that would cause a fish tail to someone not used to controlling a car at that speed and once in a fish tail at that speed its over pretty quick unless you are a very experienced driver and most are not.

With a car like that, it is highly likely it can go from 45 to 100 within mere seconds. The "jack knifing" was likely due to him having to pull the e-brake after a sudden few seconds of frightening acceleration and lack of brake response. It could also be likely that the act of pulling the mechanical e-brake is what ignited the explosives hidden underneath with just a simple connection and fuse that could probably be installed within minutes. He pulls it while the drive shaft kept pulling it along and its "jack knife" happens with a simultaneous boom.

I was thinking muckraking journalists should switch to old school cars with none of the techno bells and whistles, but then I immediately flashed on the closing scene of "Casino". They can do it any which way they choose if they want to.

This is why I have trouble with the complex and/or hi-tech scenarios for the Wellstone and JFK, Jr., deaths. You really do just need a wrench and a screwdriver, and perhaps a sharp knife.

In the end your best insurance is to take a good look under your car before you get in if you suspect foul play, as this guy certainly did.

[Lord Balto]

FYI engine/transmission ejection in some types of accidents IS an intentionally designed in safety feature of newer cars. So the engine block was not 'blown' away, the design allowed its' own kinetic energy to keep on going, yanking it out and through the vehicle. That's why I said back on page 2 or so, that the distance it traveled would give an indication of impact velocity.

It should also be noted that in May, a report came out on new luxury cars having trouble safely impacting front 'clipping' when just the hit comes in the outer 25-30% of the front. There's a link back on page 2 or so. the C250 was a particularly poor performer in this type of impact.

Also, it's entirely possible the 'FBI' questioning friends and associates were not in fact actually FBI men.

When FBI are encountered, ideally one should ask what office they work out of. Get a phonebook and call the listed FBI number and verify that such persons exist and so on.

Not to be argumentative, but from the picture I have seen, the side of the car was resting against a palm tree in a long row of palm trees. It seems to me that if you attribute the ejection of the engine to kinetic energy, the engine should have either ejected across the road into the opposite lanes and parallel to the position of the car or exited laterally when the car hit the tree sideways and struck one or the other palm tree next to the car in the row, depending on where it originally struck the tree. If, however, the car was subject to an explosion, one would expect that the detachable nature of the mounts would have allowed the explosion to eject the engine in the direction of the outward force of the explosion. Or are you suggesting that the kinetic energy would have ejected the engine at right angles to the impact? I am reminded of the World Trade Center supposedly collapsing at right angles to the plane impacts.

Beyond this, I see no logical reason to design such an ejection into a car. Do the designers really think there's something safe about a projectile the size of an engine block conceivably landing on a bystander or projecting itself through a window on a crowded city street? Can you imagine what would have happened if that car had hit a parked car on a city street and the engine had projected itself at right angles to the vehicle? Sorry, I don't buy it. Even if it were true, I have seen no evidence that this particular vehicle had such a "feature" (or bug?).

[nashvillebrook]

@barracuda, @justdrew...or anyone...

Just as a thought experiment, let's say we wanted to craft a narrative to be pitched to media that aimed to put the Hastings death outside of the realm of JFK/RFK mystery. Do you have a feeling for what that story looks like? What themes do we avoid? What's the tableau?

Is the mere agitation on this subject enough to put his death in "teh crazee" file? Do you see anything different in the way this story is developing that could be used as a lever to elevate it?

Putting on my editor's hat, I see a couple of positives that make his story different. The most interesting of which is the email of 15 hours prior that shows he was aware of FBI intimidation that he suggests was related to work he was doing on the Petraus/Broadwell/Kelley affair.

I read the lawsuit last night, which is remarkable in that it reads more like a story pitch than a court filing. Have a look: http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2013/images/06/03/kelleyfbi.pdf

The lawsuit alleges that Jill Kelley was being cyberstalked by someone she assumed was Broadwell, and Kelley had sought protection/prosecution by the FBI, but instead they turned their investigation onto her instead of the person doing the harassing. Also, very interesting that the lawsuit seeks damages for Jill Kelley's lost income that she would have accrued through "investments" related to her position as "Honorary Ambassador" for CENTCOM and "Honorary Counsul" to the Republic of South Korea.

Hastings likely had picked up on an embarrassing truth related to the Petraus/Broadwell/Kelley affair. That much is clear. What might that embarrassing truth be?

For my money, if someone were to pick up where he left off and connect the dots, it might shine a light on how he died, and if it was connected to this matter.

[elfismiles]

Still can't find a copy of the Young Turks video titled Michael Hastings Death: Possible Motives for a Hit with audio (see previous post below) ... oh well.

Meanwhile, flashback:

DHS Emails Talk About The Young Turks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=steHAfiUHBQ

Published on Aug 2, 2012

Why did some internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) emails discuss The Young Turks and Rolling Stone reporter Michael Hastings? Cenk Uygur and Ben Mankiewicz discuss on TYT.

Read more here from Jason Leopold of Truthout:

Top DHS Officials Went Ballistic Over Rolling Stone Contributor Michael Hastings' OWS Report, Internal Emails Show
Tuesday, 31 July 2012 15:25 By Jason Leopold, Truthout | Report
http://truth-out.org/news/item/10634-dh ... ur-mission

Is there some reason the audio won't play on any of these 4 copies of the Young Turks video titled:

Michael Hastings Death: Possible Motives for a Hit

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... +for+a+Hit

[nashvillebrook]

Interesting convergence with the Snowden narrative, that the story which caught the attention of DHS was Hastings covering private companies spying on domestic political groups (OWS etc.). This was a year ago.

Could it be that Snowden's revelations re-upped the interest in Hastings?

[barracuda]

Not to be argumentative, but from the picture I have seen, the side of the car was resting against a palm tree in a long row of palm trees. It seems to me that if you attribute the ejection of the engine to kinetic energy, the engine should have either ejected across the road into the opposite lanes and parallel to the position of the car or exited laterally when the car hit the tree sideways and struck one or the other palm tree next to the car in the row, depending on where it originally struck the tree. If, however, the car was subject to an explosion, one would expect that the detachable nature of the mounts would have allowed the explosion to eject the engine in the direction of the outward force of the explosion.

This picture of the engine resting off the street shows its location in relationship to the car:



It's sitting on the red curb at the northeast corner of the intersection of North Highland and Clinton Street. Here's a shot of that corner looking south, you can see the streetlight above the red curb:



So the track followed by the ejected engine is nearly a straight line in the direction of the car's momentum upon the hitting the palm:

@barracuda, @justdrew...or anyone...

Just as a thought experiment, let's say we wanted to craft a narrative to be pitched to media that aimed to put the Hastings death outside of the realm of JFK/RFK mystery. Do you have a feeling for what that story looks like? What themes do we avoid? What's the tableau?

Clearly the lede here in your hypothetical narrative has to be motive - if Hastings was murdered, why now rather than earlier? That has to be the hook, some pressing and current research he was doing that brought him into the crosshairs. It would be helpful if that work and your contextualizing of it pointed at a specific power node with means and opportunity. "The FBI" is too broad. "They killed him" is too vague. The narrative arc is defined by the threat he brought with his current work. Avoid themes that include heavily drinking journalists toasting their fallen comrade in cheap bars.

I suspect people close to him, personal friends and colleagues, won't be offering on-the-record accounts of how much or how little Hastings was known to drink or carouse. And rightly so.

Is the mere agitation on this subject enough to put his death in "teh crazee" file? Do you see anything different in the way this story is developing that could be used as a lever to elevate it?

If - if, mind you - it were to come out that Jill Kelley was in fact a high level procurer of female companions for important military men, and this position had allowed her to launder large payments through the real estate or charity work of herself and her family, and specific, important but overlooked individuals were at the mercy of possible blackmail and manipulation because of it... well then, you might have a good hook. Retrospectively speaking you might be able to place his death in some context of the nexus of organized crime and the military, which has a nice ring to it. Though any story that involves Jill Kelley is going to be difficult as hell to elevate.

Also, it would be helpful if some hard evidence came forward that he was actually murdered. Not holding my breath on that one.

[Nordic]

You mean hard evidence of the sort described in the article I posted above where it describes how they can completely erase their tracks after remotely controlling a car?

The whole point of these sorts if things is the way that people with too much power and access can cover up their own shit.

Like the supposed "suicide" of the DC Madame. How much more obvious do you expect something to be?

If this was a movie script it would be a cliche.

[barracuda]

You mean hard evidence of the sort described in the article I posted above where it describes how they can completely erase their tracks after remotely controlling a car?

Well, I was talking about evidence that he was murdered, not evidence that there exist ways to murder someone by commandeering their vehicle controls, as fascinating a crack in the door as that may be. I readily stipulate that there are persons who can kill you with great impunity, in any number of ways, and that many of these people receive government paychecks.

I entertain no expectations that any evidence of wrongful death will be found. I wouldn't expect it to be found in any case, murdered or not murdered. And I'm sort of okay with existing in a superposition of both states, really. I suspect it's the dissociative spirit of the age.

[Canadian_watcher]

yeah, people! Circumstantial evidence only counts against you if you is poor. Anyone who can kill someone with a vehicle remote control sho'nuff ain't!

so this is a case of the elites laughing at you as you try and hoist them on the petard they made for themselves.