'Legendary' hacker Barnaby Jack dies a week before hacking convention

Barnaby Jack, a computer-security professional with a showman’s flair for demonstrating technical weaknesses in ATMs and medical devices, has died in San Francisco, a week before he was due to make a high-profile presentation at a hacking conference.

The New Zealand-born Jack, 35, was found dead on Thursday evening by "a loved one" at an apartment in San Francisco's Nob Hill neighborhood, according to a police spokesman. He would not say what caused Jack's death but said police had ruled out foul play.

The San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office said it was conducting an autopsy, although it could be a month before the cause of death is determined.

Jack was one of the world's most prominent "white hat" hackers - those who use their technical skills to find security holes before criminals can exploit them.

“We certainly don’t want people to lose faith in these devices,” Jack said July 18 in an interview with Bloomberg News. “But certainly any threats, no matter how minor, need to be eliminated.”

Jack was director of embedded device security at IOActive Inc., a security consulting firm with offices in Seattle and London. 
Jack became one of the world's most famous hackers after a 2010 demonstration of "Jackpotting" - getting ATMs to spew out bills. A clip of his presentation has been viewed more than 2.6 million times on YouTube.

The whole hacking community is shocked on hearing Jack's Death news.

"Beloved Pirate"

Jack's most recent employer, the cyber security consulting firm IOActive Inc, said on its Twitter account: "Lost but never forgotten our beloved pirate, Barnaby Jack has passed."

Jack had been scheduled to present his research on heart devices at Black Hat on Aug. 1. Last week, Jack told Reuters he had devised a way to hack into a wireless communications system that linked implanted pacemakers and defibrillators with bedside monitors that gather information about their operations.

"I'm sure there could be lethal consequences," Jack said in a phone interview.

He declined to name the manufacturer of the device but said he was working with that company to figure out how to prevent malicious attacks on heart patients.

Jack's sudden death drew responses from the hacking community reminiscent of those that followed the suicide of hacker activist Aaron Swartz in January.

Dan Kaminsky, a well-known hacker, described the death as a tragedy. "Barnaby was one of the most creative, energetic, diverse researchers in our field," he said.

"You'll be missed, bro," tweeted another well-known hacker Dino Dai Zovi.

Jack's sister, Amberleigh Jack, who lives in New Zealand, told Reuters her brother was 35 years old. She declined to comment further, saying she needed time to grieve.

Black Hat said that it will not replace Jack's session at the conference, saying the hour would be left vacant for conference attendees to commemorate his life and work.

The U.S. government also appreciated Jack's work

"The work that Barnaby Jack and others have done to highlight some of these vulnerabilities has contributed importantly to progress in the field," said William Maisel, deputy director for science at the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.