Jump to content

MacBook Air gets hacked


Dermatea
 Share

66 posts in this topic

Recommended Posts

Yet another contest by TippingPoint with oodles of cash on the line for whoever can 'hack a Mac' first:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,143901/article.html

 

Rival operating systems were tested too at the CanSecWest security conference, including Linux and Vista:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,143883-page,1/article.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I've posted elsewhere, the Mac was most likely targeted first to "shut those smug Mac users up." While I'm not saying this to demean the exploit (all exploits should be taken seriously), let's at least put it into context with the Mac getting hit first.

Really though, this is not that big a deal. It was just a browser exploit; they are common, can be cooked up quickly by any script kiddie, and still require stupidity on the user's part to actually work. The Macbook was just the first to go because people wanted it to go first; it could have just as easily been the Linux or Windows that went (and probably will tomorrow).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Really though, this is not that big a deal. It was just a browser exploit; they are common, can be cooked up quickly by any script kiddie, and still require stupidity on the user's part to actually work. The Macbook was just the first to go because people wanted it to go first; it could have just as easily been the Linux or Windows that went (and probably will tomorrow).

 

Not really, if they use Fedora for example SELinux makes it much harder, hack a exploit is fine but what damage can you do with it, SELinux helps to limit the damage done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's not like OS X is in-hackable ... Our OSX86 team has outwitted Apple many-a-times.

 

I hope this is (yet another) wake up call to naive Mac Users who believe that by booting in OS X, they are 110% absolutely safe (Or ANY OS, for that matter). If it's human made, of course it's going to have flaws. Case closed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sure, the MacBook is the good one :)

 

Well, in every regard, it's literally better than the MacBook air, barring the mousepad gimmick, and if you're stupid enough to pay $1799 for a laptop that has so many less features than the $1099 one, you might consider becoming sensible and spending the extra $200 and buying a $1999 laptop that kicks the $1099 one's ass, (which, I reiterate, is far more powerful and feature-filled than the pathetic MBA).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7:30pm PST Update - Vista Laptop was Won!: Congratulations to Shane Macaulay from Security Objectives - he has just won the Fujitsu U810 laptop running Vista Ultimate SP1 after it was installed with the latest version of Adobe Flash. Not only is he the official winner of the Fujitsu laptop, but also $5,000 from us. Shane received some assistance from his friends Derek Callaway (also from Security Objectives) and Alexander Sotirov. If you'll also remember, Shane Macaulay was Dino Dai Zovi's on-site team member at last year's PWN to OWN event in which they ultimately took the top prize.

 

The new Adobe Flash 0day vulnerability that Shane exploited has been acquired by the Zero Day Initiative, and has been responsibly disclosed to Adobe who is now working on the issue. Until Adobe releases a patch for this issue, neither we nor the contestants will be giving out any additional information about the vulnerability. You will be able to track the vulnerability on the Zero Day Initiative upcoming advisories page.

 

So at the end of the last day of the contest, only the Sony VAIO laptop running Ubuntu was left standing.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does this seriously come to be a surprise to anyone? Macs have been the first to go at similar contests.

 

In related news, Microsoft patches faster than Apple does.

 

Come on Apple, don't be stupid.

 

It's not Apple being stupid as much as it is people intentionally targeting the Mac "to shut people up." Then they went to Windows because any five year old can write a virus for Windows using Visual Basic. Ubuntu was unhacked because nobody cares about Linux getting hacked.

 

I'm not trying to downplay the event, but let's be real here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's not Apple being stupid as much as it is people intentionally targeting the Mac "to shut people up." Then they went to Windows because any five year old can write a virus for Windows using Visual Basic. Ubuntu was unhacked because nobody cares about Linux getting hacked.

 

I'm not trying to downplay the event, but let's be real here.

 

Are you for real, all three computers where hacked in the same way, OS X get hacked on the second day because default apps where able to be included, showing Safari as the reason(quicktime last year).

 

Third day, third party apps/plugins which exposes Adobe's proprietary flash which they were able to get into Vista. Linux remains unhacked because they simply didn't and couldn't find a way in and shows the false claims that opensource software is more vunarable. Just like to say as well that Ubuntu dont even include SELinux or Appamour by default enabled which makes it even less lightly for them to do damange ones they got in. Ubuntu will have Appamour in Hardly and are working on SElinux intergration like Fedora have had by default.

 

The laptop was a Sony Vaio and comes with a cash prize, if thats not a good reason to hack the {censored} out of it, I dont know what is.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's funny how you quoted someone from a thread and NOT what actually happened, the guy knew about the flaw in Safari so it was hacked faster, Vista was hacked because of a flash exploit and the idea no one wanted to hack the linux laptop is stupid. It's a simple fact that you attack the easier one and OS X/Safari was, Ubuntu doesn't even come with Flash by default(OS X/Vista does) so that makes Ubuntu a much harder target because of no known exploits.

 

LOL, If the Ubuntu laptop was so easy to hack as you claimed then them guys were stupid passing up a Sony laptop and $5,000.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...