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'White hat' ATM hacker dead at 35

July 29, 2013

After discovering security flaws that allowed him to hack into ATMs both virtually and physically, Barnaby Jack could've made himself a very wealthy man. Instead he told the manufacturers about these security holes so they could plug them.

The white-hat hacker was found dead in his home in San Francisco last Thursday, at the age of just 35. Authorities aren't sure what killed him, but have ruled out foul play.

According to a report by USA Today, Jack first made waves in the hacking community at the 2010 Black Hat conference. In his "Jackpotting ATMs" presentation, he explained that a single key could unlock all ATM models of a given type, providing access to the USB port.

Then, with a simple thumb drive, he could reprogram the ATM to dispense all of its cash.

Jack made headlines at the Black Hat conference in 2010 when he demonstrated his ability to hack stand-alone ATMs. He was able to hack them in two ways — remotely and using physical keys that come with the machines.

He also explained that it was possible to exploit weaknesses in Internet communications between the ATM and its maker. He didn't completely detail the hack to his audience, saying that his only purpose was to encourage manufacturers to make their machines more secure.

Barnaby Jack demonstrates
'ATM Jackpotting' for MIT Technology Review

"Barnaby had the ability to take complex technology and intricate research and make it tangible and accessible for everyone to learn and grow from," Black Hat said in a statement following Jack's death.

Jack died exactly a week before he was to have presented at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas.

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