Posted on 06/25/2013 1:40:40 PM PDT by KosmicKitty
Former U.S. National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-terrorism Richard Clarke told The Huffington Post on Monday that the fatal crash of journalist Michael Hastings’ Mercedes C250 coupe last week is “consistent with a car cyber attack.”
“There is reason to believe that intelligence agencies for major powers” — including the United States — know how to remotely seize control of a car,” Clarke said.
On Saturday, Infowars.com posted a video of a talk presented by Dr. KathleenFisher, a program manager for DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new technologies. Fisher admitted that the Pentagon has researched remotely controlling cars through hacking on board computers.
In 2011, Car and Driver magazine published an article substantiating the Pentagon research. “Currently, there’s nothing to stop anyone with malicious intent and some computer-programming skills from taking command of your vehicle. After gaining access, a hacker could control everything from which song plays on the radio to whether the brakes work,” writes Keith Barry, citing research conducted by the Center for Automotive Embedded Systems Security, a partnership between the University of California San Diego and the University of Washington.
“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.”
Clarke was careful not to directly implicate the government in hacking Hastings’ car. “So if there were a cyber attack on the car — and I’m not saying there was,” he said, “I think whoever did it would probably get away with it.”
He also put credence in the FBI’s claim – despite claims to the contrary by associates of the writer – that the agency was not investigating him. “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.”
“I’m not a conspiracy guy. In fact, I’ve spent most of my life knocking down conspiracy theories,” said Clarke. “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.”
Despite the overwhelming evidence that Michael Hastings was targeted and assassinated for his journalism – most notably his story resulting in the fall of Gen. Stanley McChrystal and remarks on NSA surveillance – the establishment media continues to portray the attack on Hastings as the delusional meanderings of conspiracy theorists. Clarke’s comments serve as the latest pièce de résistance in an unfolding drama revealing just how far the government will go to silence critics and truth tellers.
Prior to his murder, Hastings said the Obama administration had declared war on the press. His desire to go into hiding – expressed in an email mere hours before his assassination – demonstrates the ability of the government to monitor opponents by using a well-developed NSA surveillance grid and take executive action against investigative journalists and others who dare to stand up to the national security state.
“I’m not a conspiracy guy. In fact, I’ve spent most of my life knocking down conspiracy theories,” said Clarke. “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.”
It beggars belief.
Clarke was careful not to directly implicate the government in hacking Hastings’ car. “So if there were a cyber attack on the car — and I’m not saying there was,” he said, “I think whoever did it would probably get away with it.”
Like when the cops controlled the car in Minority Report when Cruise was escaping?
I’m not familiar with the specifics, but just about everything in cars that have been built recently is computerized. Some of it is just computer monitoring, but a good bit of it involves computerized control, or the ability to shut things down if the computer thinks there is a problem.
Onstar.
An few weeks ago I wouldn’t want to believe that the federal government is spying on essentially the entire country, either.
Lesson Learned: Get yourself an old-school model from the 60’s or 70’s that has minimal electronics.
Clarke is a buffoon
"... I'll make the claim anyway with no evidence.", Clarke finished.
Google “drive-by-wire”. Just about everything in a modern automobile nowadays is controlled by code.
Right out of “Terminator-Rise of the Machines”
All your cars are belong to us.
My question is why was he out at 4:30 a.m. when most people are in bed or only out for compelling reasons like catching a plane or getting to an early job.
I heard on the news that they’ve unable to do a positive ID on the body found in the wreckage but they should have a toxicology report ready in two weeks. Sounds like they don’t know who burned up in that car but they can tell us whether or not he(or she) was drunk.
In the old pre-high tech days, the bad guys in North by Northwest just poured a lot of booze down Cary Grant's throat. Of course Grant survived that episode because it was near the beginning of the movie and he was the star. But he had to pay the two dollars.
In the land of the blind, the owner of the 67 Dodge Dart will be king.
This afternoon Shep did a segment on this. The friend of Hastings who got the weird email, was shown in an interview and he said Hastings normally drove like a grandmother.
It was interesting to me that Shep did such a lengthy segment on it- including the statements by Richard Clarke.
Also today Hastings wife tweeted he was NOT working on the story abbout Kelly/Petraeus.
(From the article) :”Despite the overwhelming evidence that Michael Hastings was targeted and assassinated for his journalism – most notably his story resulting in the fall of Gen. Stanley McChrystal and remarks on NSA surveillance – the establishment media continues to portray the attack on Hastings as the delusional meanderings of conspiracy theorists. “
Right !
and I am sure that the FBI is present anytime that there is an automobile accident at 4:30 AM , by someone “not if interest” .
It’s just a coincidence !
It’s just a coincidence !
For these high end cars that can take turns at formerly unimaginable speeds, the computers have already been in control for some time. As the turn is made the computers go into high gear fine-tuning the suspension, breaking, etc.
The person at the wheel that thinks he is taking those turns is no different than the baby in the backseat with the fake dashboard, steering wheel, and plastic horn.
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