Threat Management

Report: Thieves may have hacked Detroit gas pump to steal $1,800 of fuel

A Marathon gas station in Detroit is reportedly out roughly $1,800 after an unknown party apparently used a device to hack one of its pumps to dispense free gasoline.

Fox affiliate WJBK reported last week that the clerk manning the station, Aziz Awadh, said he was unable to stop the thieves, who may have found a way to disable the employee's screen-based system. Various reports [1, 2, 3] suggest the culprits could have successfully targeted the station's fuel-management software.

The June 23 incident reportedly involved 10 separate vehicles stealing a total of 600 gallons of gas -- although it is not clear if all the drivers were in on the apparent scam. Awadh said he was finally able to shut down the pump using an emergency kit, before calling the police.

Reports say the police are looking for two suspects.

Bradley Barth

As director of multimedia content strategy at CyberRisk Alliance, Bradley Barth develops content for online conferences, webcasts, podcasts video/multimedia projects — often serving as moderator or host. For nearly six years, he wrote and reported for SC Media as deputy editor and, before that, senior reporter. He was previously a program executive with the tech-focused PR firm Voxus. Past journalistic experience includes stints as business editor at Executive Technology, a staff writer at New York Sportscene and a freelance journalist covering travel and entertainment. In his spare time, Bradley also writes screenplays.

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