Gone in 2 Minutes: Mac Gets Hacked First in Contest

[malware]

All hypes and myths about Apple being the most secure OS, or at least being the last OS to be hacked may have been busted by Charlie Miller on Thursday when he managed to hack an Apple MacBoock Air for 2 minutes flat during the CanSecWest security conference's PWN 2 OWN hacking contest. Show organizers offered a Sony Vaio, Fujitsu U810 and the MacBook as prizes, saying that they could be won by anybody at the show who could find a way to hack into each of them and read the contents of a file on the system, using a previously undisclosed "0day" attack. Nobody was able to hack into the systems on the first day of the contest when contestants were only allowed to attack the computers over the network, but on Thursday the rules were relaxed so that attackers could direct contest organizers using the computers to do things like visit Web sites or open e-mail messages. Miller, best known as one of the researchers who first hacked Apple's iPhone last year, took advantage of the new privileges given by the jury and within 2 minutes, he directed the contest's organizers to visit a Web site that contained his exploit code, which then allowed him to seize control of the computer. He was the first contestant to attempt an attack on any of the systems, and that was enough for him to win quick $10,000 and perhaps show how secure the MacBook Air was. Continue reading the full story with more details here.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[malware]

Thanks to our reader Steevo for sending this out.

 

[jbunch07]

damn thats pretty cool! that dude has got some mad skills!

 

[btarunr]

Asserts the fact that Apple OS is safe not because they make them safe but that not many exploit its loopholes or do trivial stuff on it.

 

[lemonadesoda]

Great story! LOL

http://dvlabs.tippingpoint.com/blog...e-have-our-first-official-winner-with-picture

 

[jbunch07]

apples are less hacked because less people use them...its all in demographics

 

[WhiteLotus]

but still 2 minutes! unless he has of course done this before?!?!?

 

[Ehstii]

apples are less hacked because less people use them...its all in demographics

thats right.

apple is like 2% of the market.

but now see, if the government started using apples. im sure there would be alot more viruses and people trying to hack them.

 

[a111087]

apples are less hacked because less people use them...its all in demographics

yep, and of course he probably done this before, but the point is that Mac can be hacked. Period.

 

[timta2]

Lame. Demographics have little to do with it. Every time there is report like this the MS fanboys go crazy. So the first day at the hack challange... "Nobody was able to hack into the systems on the first day of the contest when contestants were only allowed to attack the computers over the network". Do you think the situation would be the same if it were a Windows box?

 

[jbunch07]

yep, and of course he probably done this before, but the point is that Mac can be hacked. Period.

my guess would be he has def done this before or something very similar 2 and lets not forget this is they guy who hacked the i-phone so hes got some mad hacking skills and is prob very familuar with apples and the way they work...
haha i couldn't even change the wallpaper on an apple much less do a hack like that

 

[jbunch07]

Lame. Demographics have little to do with it. Every time there is report like this the MS fanboys go crazy. So the first day at the hack challange... "Nobody was able to hack into the systems on the first day of the contest when contestants were only allowed to attack the computers over the network". Do you think the situation would be the same if it were a Windows box?

all im saying is windows is allot more hacked than apple simple because more people use windows

and where did this fanboy stuff come from? no one was even talking bad about apple?
if this were on windows it prob would have been done in the same amount of time if not less

 

[Azazel]

lol thats pretty cool

 

[Kreij]

Do you think the situation would be the same if it were a Windows box?

What was running on the Vaio and the Fujistu?
No one hacked those either on the first day.

 

[Baum]

Vista?? Ultimate !!





okey read it at the blog:

Ubuntu and Vista (wich one is less important i think)

 

[phanbuey]

windows is one of the hardest (personal)OS's to hack in terms of finding new security holes and such (just because so many people do it all the time)...

Trying to hack windows is like trying to hold up a convenience store in Iraq ...

Some linux distros are much better, of course, but you literally have to build your connectivity, firewall and well, basically the OS.

 

[Rodster]

Thanks for the story, pwned.

 

[FatForester]

I posted this last night, but I guess I should have sent it to one of you guys. It's still hilarious though

Lame. Demographics have little to do with it. Every time there is report like this the MS fanboys go crazy. So the first day at the hack challange... "Nobody was able to hack into the systems on the first day of the contest when contestants were only allowed to attack the computers over the network". Do you think the situation would be the same if it were a Windows box?

If you actually read the link(s), you would find that Linux and Windows are included as well.

 

[Mussels]

good story... and lol to the people who are defending macs without realising windows was part of the competition - mac got taken in 2 minutes before the others were even close.

 

[mlee49]

How freakin awesome was that, 2 minutes of work and 10K plus the notebook! Wow, must be nice to work half an hour and get paid for two months.

 

[effmaster]

How freakin awesome was that, 2 minutes of work and 10K plus the notebook! Wow, must be nice to work half an hour and get paid for two months.

LOL aint that the truth only for me thats about 6 months salary

 

[jbunch07]

LOL aint that the truth only for me thats about 6 months salary

"i can make that much money in 5 seconds" Napoleon Dynamite


shit i wish!

 

[Grimskull]

"when he managed to hack an Apple MacBoock Air for 2 minutes flat...."

What version MAC is that???

 

[Deleted member 3]

Lame. Demographics have little to do with it. Every time there is report like this the MS fanboys go crazy. So the first day at the hack challange... "Nobody was able to hack into the systems on the first day of the contest when contestants were only allowed to attack the computers over the network". Do you think the situation would be the same if it were a Windows box?

So you, not a MS fanboy, aren't guilty of the same? You imply that Windows would be hacked right away over network, yet if you would read a little better you would know the Windows systems didn't get hacked either.

Show organizers offered a Sony Vaio, Fujitsu U810 and the MacBook as prizes, saying that they could be won by anybody at the show who could find a way to hack into each of them and read the contents of a file on the system, using a previously undisclosed "0day" attack.

Nobody was able to hack into the systems on the first day of the contest when contestants were only allowed to attack the computers over the network

To make it even prettier, near the end of the article:

Shane Macaulay, who was Dai Zovi's co-winner last year, spent much of Thursday trying to hack into the Fujitsu Vista laptop, at one point rushing back to his Vancouver area home to retrieve a file that he thought might help him hack into the system.

But it was all in vain.

I think you just lost the right to call others "MS fanboys". Anyway, to answer your question, the situation isn't the same on the Windows machine.

 

[cdawall]

So you, not a MS fanboy, aren't guilty of the same? You imply that Windows would be hacked right away over network, yet if you would read a little better you would know the Windows systems didn't get hacked either.

To make it even prettier, near the end of the article:

I think you just lost the right to call others "MS fanboys". Anyway, to answer your question, the situation isn't the same on the Windows machine.

damn you beat me to posting this dan!!!