Remote Hackers giving out FREE Gas! Hijack600 gallons Clerks can only watch.its the new thing!

originally posted by: Muninn
a reply to: Allaroundyou

Pulled the nozzle off?

The emergency shut off sure but removing the nozzles is silly at best.

Next time you are filling up your tank. Look at the top of the line. There is a mechanism in place Incase someone drives off with the nozzle still in the car. If that gets yanked off then the emergency shut off kicks in. I don’t think some gas station employee would risk doing something like that but it is there.

a reply to: TheLead

Reaching down and pulling the floor mat, or sliding it backward with your foot, would be the best option. In neutral you'll have a little bit of time to take advantage of power steering to pull over to the side of the road and then switch off the ignition before your engine totally screams to death. I doubt the female driver would have been in enough control to do any of that. She was probably lying about the whole thing anyway.

Which brings me to the point... something smells about the gas station attendant's excuses.

Some of the "facts" in this article don't add up. I'm sure there's a lot more to this story than is presented there.

This single pump went rogue for 90 minutes and gave away 600 gallons of gas for free. It seems odd to me that the gas station attendant was clueless for a full hour and a half about how to turn off one pump. Maybe he just didn't know what was happening until someone brought it to his attention.

From the source article:

At least 10 cars are believed to have benefitted from the free-flowing gas pump, which still has police befuddled.

It certainly had to be a lot more than 10 cars. Unless those 10 vehicles had 60 gallon gas tanks.

Furthermore, I know for a fact that if I had just been given a full tank of free gas, I'd be asking a few questions. And, I know that I'm not the only one who would have just parked my car in front of the malfunctioning pump to prevent other people from taking advantage of this exploit. Not to mention that I would have tried to help the clueless employee figure out how to shut it down.

I am by no means a saint. But my upbringing makes it difficult for me to so wantonly steal anything; or support anyone else doing the same thing.

-dex

I am by no means a saint. But my upbringing makes it difficult for me to so wantonly steal anything; or support anyone else doing the same thing.

Thank you for being you.

a reply to: Generation9

TBH, I've never heard of the story I was hoping I was reading it wrong or the poster typed it wrong. The issue was really just the floor mat sliding up, yes you would be correct. I'm astonished every day at non-hadicapped peoples inability to do basic things for themselves.

My guess is that the people pumping gas actually used their cards and the funds went to the hacker instead of gas station. It seems unlikely the thief arranged to have 20-30 cars fill up, if so there should be some video evidence somewhere. How exactly would you know that the pump was giving free gas? Most people would just drive to a different pump rather than assume the pump was giving free gas.Clerk probably didn't know until someone tried to use cash and the pump wouldn't take it.

Having worked for, and managed a gas station the following can be stated:

What I do not understand is why the employees/manager just did not hit the panic button? It overrides the entire system and shuts down the power to the pumps. Or why they could not go back and use the circuit breaker, as that would take the pumps fully off line and stop the power to make them or the pumps under the ground from working fully.

However, what this should tell us, is that someone knew enough to be able to get into the system, get to the software and then hack it, taking over the system. Good chance that the people who did this actually went into the store and managed to get something plugged in to where it could go through and interface with the system to give them control and able to interface between the registers/pump control and the back office.

And that they have a serious lack of the most basic training when it comes to working in a gas station, especially on safety.

originally posted by: Zeta Reticuli

originally posted by: underwerks
Not all heroes wear capes.

So, thievery is now considered to be heroic?

Selective outrage much?

When you read about robin hood, did you root for the Sherrif of notingham?

originally posted by: sligtlyskeptical
My guess is that the people pumping gas actually used their cards and the funds went to the hacker instead of gas station. It seems unlikely the thief arranged to have 20-30 cars fill up, if so there should be some video evidence somewhere. How exactly would you know that the pump was giving free gas? Most people would just drive to a different pump rather than assume the pump was giving free gas.Clerk probably didn't know until someone tried to use cash and the pump wouldn't take it.

That makes a lot of sense. I got caught in a "virtue signaling" loop and didn't think it through.

The scenario you propose sounds reasonable. I hope the part about the hacker intercepting credit card information is wrong. I had my CC information skimmed at a pump, but the bank caught it and contacted me. Had to cancel the card and wait a week to get a new one. I'm fortunate that I'm so broke, otherwise the hacker could have done some real damage.


-dex

originally posted by: DJMSN
a reply to: AScrubWhoDied

A breaker switch would turn off the pumps as in no electricity and prevent the hackers at the same time. A simple call to 911 with the license plate of the vehicle at the pump would more than likely eventually lead to the remote hacker and case closed.

maybe the clerk missed the part of first day orientation where the owner walked them around and showed them where the breakers were and which ones controlled which pump.

you think?

originally posted by: DexterRiley

And, I know that I'm not the only one who would have just parked my car in front of the malfunctioning pump to prevent other people from taking advantage of this exploit. Not to mention that I would have tried to help the clueless employee figure out how to shut it down.

a reply to: TinySickTears

Yep. I deserve that.


This is what I wrote in another post above:

I got caught in a "virtue signaling" loop and didn't think it through.

Everybody is entitled to a Mighty Mouse Moment every once in a while...


-dex

a reply to: TinySickTears

Like has been pointed out earlier, a big red button in front of the building that is prominently marked, "EMERGENCY SHUTOFF" would not be hard to find, you think?

a reply to: DJMSN

Don't really care.
I commented on a clerk knowing the location of the breaker

originally posted by: Woodcarver

originally posted by: Zeta Reticuli

originally posted by: underwerks
Not all heroes wear capes.

So, thievery is now considered to be heroic?

Selective outrage much?

When you read about robin hood, did you root for the Sherrif of notingham?

I always root for the bad guys in the movie.

originally posted by: Ohanka

originally posted by: Zeta Reticuli

originally posted by: underwerks
Not all heroes wear capes.

So, thievery is now considered to be heroic?

Never heard of Robin Hood?

Yup, same applies.

a reply to: TinySickTears

That is a breaker and anybody with two working eyed and has ever been to a gas station can't miss the big sign that says EMERGENCY SHUTOFF. You think ? Apparently NOT !

a reply to: DJMSN

Well I go to gas stations all the time and I've never seen this big red button.

Who cares though?

a reply to: TinySickTears

I hope that employee never has to deal with a fire at the pumps or some other emergency.... BOOM!

Yes they were in on it or stupid pick one. Every gas station has manual control of the pumps its how they shut them off at night. No power and they don't work its required that the pumps can be shut off manually its a safety procedure.