gotta love Apple. Someone tried to steal our demo Air at Best Buy and the Air got ripped. The screen case cracked and bent. Write off! Maybe soon Apple will do SOMETHING right!

The MacBook Air was connected directly to the computer which was hacking it. Were the Linux and Windows computers connected to the hacker's computers as well?

I never really though Macs were more secure per se but just that less people used them (and hence less reason to write malicious code for them.) Macs notebooks are getting pretty popular. I gotta say I did enjoy seeing this article after so many years of hearing Mac notebook owners brag about how awesome (in more than just security) apple was/is. Not that apple isn't good; its just that I always wished they would shut up.

good laugh

...just confirms what smart people have known for years.

"Hackers don't give a s**t about our OS" isn't a viable security policy.

Real security takes diligence, and for all of it's shortcomings, for once the Microsoft OS got something right.

Of course it was hacked. The guy had physical access to it and was even able to use the browser. In a situation like that it's incredibly easy to do about anything you want to it. If you have physical access, it's game over. I'd like to see a hack that DOESN'T use physical access. Then I'll be impressed.

Apple security = a joke

Please RTFA. Not only was the exploit already disclosed earlier, but it had nothing to do with the OS. The vulnerability was in the Safari web browser and required the user to do something really stupid so a telnet connection could be established. Also, the code executed was on the remote system, not on local system. Jeez.

Get rid of Safari and use firefox, and you would not have seen this "hack" work.


One thing I do have to point out against Mac is that the firewall was turned off in the default configuration for the mac platform (what a stupid practise!!) whereas it was turned on for linux/winx.

What a dumb competition.

I don't even own a Mac, but this is a poorly written article. Nothing was "hacked" for god sakes.. He simply used a browser exploit, most likely a buffer overrun in WebKit. He DID NOT freely penetrate the system, the user actually had to browse to a specific website for the exploit to work, which makes it MUCH easier.

How many Internet explorer exploits have we seen in the last couple of years? 5,000 maybe?




@cabose369
You are a moron. Of course if someone tries hard enough, you can easily destroy even FULL sized laptops.
I've owned Fujitsus, Panasonics, and a Sony. The Macbook Air easily has the most durable and robust chassis/casing than ANY subnotebook (and most full-size laptops) I have ever used. The thing is a solid piece of aluminum. Compare that to the plastic casings used in nearly all the market competitors, although it can help to reduce weight.

justin long is gonna have to do a new commercial on apple security. XD

Maybe this guy started out breaking into Lexuses......lol

He did something right cause he got the cash.

Last time I checked most users were actually really dumb. Anyone disagree?

Forgive me if I am wrong, but won't apple computers accept windows and linux operating systems since the apple-intel partnership in CPUs? That means, if you really want it, and the air is something most of the persons I told about want, you can use it with your OS of choice.

that you're elite and such.
But I know none of you know what the hell you're talking about. You don't know anything about this conference, you weren't there. You don't know how easy or uneasy it was. And of course he's going to direct it to a website with bad code, that's what a hack is, what do you want the guy to do, write a code there on the computer? haha preloaded failure for the mac, unlucky, but it happened because there is a flaw. So please, why don't you ask the guy yourself before you start drawing conclusions.

With that said, I'm really glad to hear this, it's not that I don't like mac's or prefer PC's, it's just I hate when people buy a mac over a pc because it's all the rage now when really they don't know what they hell they're doing.

I don't think that competition was very relevant. With access to the physical system its only a matter of time before the system is compromised. Purely entertainment value that competition was.

I'm not saying that macs are more secure then other OSs out there. In fact most mac users are lulled into a false sense of security. The more macs become prevalent, the more they will be hacked. I just hope the first hacks are harmless like most large outbreaks on the windows platform (ie spammer bots).

Of course someone could do that if they don't mind paying an exorbitant price for something that is mainly to stroke their egos when other people who wish they could afford to spend that kind of money gawk and think how their own ego would benefit from owning such a crippled piece of hardware that makes such a loud fashion statement to others like them. But it seems most people are slightly more practical than that or can't afford or are not willing to spend that much money just on a fashion statement and so Apple is stuck with a measly market share.

APPLE SUCKS!!!

On guy said in here it wasn't the OS it was the browser. While that's true most of hacks that hit windows are because of IE. So should M$ be excused because users should be using FF??? Hell no. It's still Apples fault. Plain and simple.

I don't have attachments to any of the OSs. Each has it's pros and cons. I just find it funny people bash M$ for crap that happens to every OS and browser. My point is, if someone wants to hack an OS there going to do it. Apple has some ways to go since they haven't been attacked in years, but they get up to M$ and Linux status eventually.

Sure you can install Linux or Windoze on Intel-based Apple machines. IF you absolutely want an overpriced PC, go right ahead ;)

But actually, what are you trying to say? Should every Apple user dump Mac OSX now, because of this silly contest's outcome?

Mac is less secure that Windows and (the real) Linux. The only reason that Mac is "safer" is because, as everyone knows, on one cares. Although this article is too brief, not enough details. Additional source or reference would be good.

Ok, so you have rules here - http://dvlabs.tippingpoint.com...o-own-2008

All laptops had ethernet connection. You can hack OS with remote access only (20000$ prize), by user interaction (following link, chatting on IM etc) and on any pre-installed apps (browsers, default chat clients, mail clients etc) getting 10k prize, or by hacking 3rd party app (last day of competiton, 5000$ prize only).

On day two, by means of secondary attack, Mac fell down easily by that browser/follow-link exploit. all by rules. http://dvlabs.tippingpoint.com...th-picture

On 3rd day, since Ubuntu and Vista weren't hacked yet, they've introduced 3rd party apps. Here is the link: http://dvlabs.tippingpoint.com...nd-wrap-up
Vista was hacked finaly around 7:30pm of that last day, through zero day exploit of latest Adobe Flash plugin.

Where I'm standing, it was all fair. Mac Air fell cos of Safari exploit, Vista failed only in last hour of the show, and after latest flash plugin was installed showing a bit more durability but still being hackable, and Ubuntu won by still standing after 3 days of hacking.

So it's all clear, all fair, and I'm not sure what you people are complaining about.
And just shows that "Disable ActiveX" is great defence against massive amounts of different ActiveX exploits around the web (and main reason why IE usualy suc** vs Firefox).

Cya!

sucks. The only thing ill hand apple is they make damn fine computers, that said, their os pretty much crap. Its just simpler than windows but with like 99% less compatibility. The day i can install mac on a pc will be the day i start respecting mac OS.

"The only thing ill hand apple is they make damn fine computers, that said, their os pretty much crap"
"The day i can install mac on a pc will be the day i start respecting mac OS."

If the OS is as you say "crap" why would you want to install it on a pc??

Obviously you like the OS if you want to run it on a pc.

You also said Apple make damn fine computers....

So, let me get this straight... You like apple computers and you also like the mac OS (but only if installed on a pc)? Yet at the same time you say that mac sucks?

Does anyone besides me find this comment a bit perplexing?

Um... Virtualban... Didn't you realize that any computer has a choice on what OS to run? That is except OSx, which is for elite pigs.

I guess all Apple computer never ever have a human in front on them? All the winner did was visit a web site, just like any dumb user could do.

Apple is gaining market share. As they do they'll also gain hate from the hacker community. Which will in turn cause viruses to be written more and more often for OSx. If you Apple's overpriced OS to remain safe, then keep quite and keep low. Oops, I guess you messed up on that, eh?

PowerPC Apples of the past were not x86 compatible, so at least Windows was not a choice.

Actually what he (Daniel) said was that the day he could install the Mac OS is the day he would respect it. Which backs up his point of the lack of compatibility. He never claims that he likes it nor does it say that he will. Just that he would start to respect it.

Personally I do love the Mac OS for most things that I do but I hate having to give up vacation for the next few months to own a box that is on par or out classed in power that the PCs of lesser cost. Now I know that in theory as the market share goes up for the Macs the price should come down (base capitalism), but this is Apple and the religion there of. They are never going to drop the standard prices of middle boxes down to be reasonable.

"The Macbook Air was installed with nothing more than the programs that come out-of-box."

I wonder if they were allowed to change firewall settings on the computer they were trying to hack. If not it does seem slightly unfair as the Mac firewall is turned off by default but Linux and Windows have it on by default.

Whatever the outcome though, the majority of computer users don't need to worry about their computer being hacked. If there's an expert hacker out there, who's computer do you think they're going to try and get into? Average Joe Bloggs or a university (Harvard) or other organisation. Those organisations should really have security consultants who can make any OS unavailable to hackers.

I don't think this competition should be taken too seriously really, more of a fun thing for people to show off and win some decent money.

Dude, how is it unfair that everything was out of the box programs? It's Apple's fault for having a computer with the firewall turned off by default. Apple should know that most of their users are too stupid to turn a firewall on. Microsoft knows that and subsequently turns the firewall on for users and if it gets turned off, they remind users to turn it back on.

I think you're wrong that the majority of users don't need to worry about being hacked. The ones that don't worry are the people that keep paying me to fix their computers after they get hacked.

Most hackers are lazy and just reach for the low hanging fruit. We all know Linux could have been hacked, but hackers went for the easy target, a Mac. Then they went for the next easiest target, a Windows PC.

Yeah true. I guess it is Apples fault for having it off by default.

I'd just be interested in seeing the results if they had have clicked on the "turn on firewall" button.

Also saying out-of-the-box programs doesn't mean a lot on a windows PC. My pc came with a Norton Internet Security trial as an "out-of-the-box" program (It also came with Windows which disappeared quickly).

All in all I think it's a good (and unsurprising) result for Linux.

Don't be a such a silly man.

As Virtualban pointed out PowerPC Apples weren't able to run Windows.

There's also something out there called the OSx86 project which is dedicated to running OSX on PC (not Apple) hardware.

And before anyone tries to point out that it's not actually supported by Apple, remember that when you install Windows on a Mac it's not officially supported by Microsoft either.

http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/s...748,00.htm

While your comment is technically correct, it is misleading.
Yes, Microsoft doesn't "officially" support installing Windows on Mac, but Mac's are no longer anything special - they are standard pc hardware in a fancy case and with a hefty premium. To Windows, its just another x86 pc.
OSx is completely different - it will only work on hardware apple approves and IIRC requires a special chip to be present on the motherboard to tell it its on a mac.
The OSx86 project works by hacking it to make it think that chip is present, and the hardware in the pc you're installing it on needs to be very similar to whats used in macs if you want any chance of success.

I doubt Apple will ever take the risk of allowing OSX to be used on "non-macs". You will find that a huge amount of problems with Windows (and Linux, to a fair degree) are because of driver issues, and hardware issues. Allowing OSX to run on any x86 pc would expose it to exactly the same problems and threats.
OSX seems so solid because apple carefully vets the hardware and drivers - they would NEVER let a sub-standard driver through that might cause crashes if they could help it, and they only have a few dozen hardware configs at most, and they have the luxury of picking whatever manufacturer and supplier they want...

I dont see Apple changing their attitude any time soon.
Apples 'security' is currently still quite strong on obscurity. But if you've seen the news about their software updates and patches, you will note that literally hundreds of security patches have been released for OSX, and not always particularly promptly.
OSX is no more invincible that it is a chocolate cake, and Apple users should be aware that it is not infallable. As Apples market share gains, it will become a more attractive target, and then we'll begin to see a real test of its "security".
Microsoft has learned the hard way about security - one day, Apple might too...

"Miller's code won him $10,000"

If he went to a website with malicious code in it I wonder if it was actually his own code. Does anyone know?

If not, I think some kudos is needed for the creators of the website aswell.