Apple MacBooks, Wintel Notebooks Vulnerable To Wireless Attack

[_kill__bill]

http://www.informationweek.com/security/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=191601574&subSection=Viruses+and+Patches

Looks like the Mac isn't as secure as Apple says.

 

On Wednesday afternoon at the Black Hat computer security conference in Las Vegas, hackers Jon "Johnny Cache" Ellch and Dave Maynor plan to demonstrate how to take over any Apple MacBook if its wireless card is turned on, even if the owner is not connected to a wireless network.

Nasty.

 

        Wireless device drivers for computers running both Apple Computer and Microsoft operating systems appear to be full of holes, and a prominent security researcher recommends turning off wireless cards until the holes can be fixed.

Affects Windows as well.

 [OFFTOPIC]Which confirms my suspicion that Apple is just like Microsoft with better PR.[/OFFTOPIC]

[H_TeXMeX_H]

Well, it seems that Apple is just as vulnerable to haking via wireless card as M$, but still not as vulnerable to viruses, trojans, malware etc.

[WMD]

Which confirms my suspicion that Apple is just like Microsoft with better PR.

So Apple falls victim to a single problem involving Intel's wireless card (for which they probably don't write the drivers), and suddenly they are "like Microsoft?"  That's quite a jump.

[worker201]

That's the big problem with the Apple switch to Intel.  We get all the faulty buggy spying hardware that was supposed to only be for PCs.

(Yes, that's right, I said it - Intel is under contract to Microsoft to assist in data collection.  As a part of their ongoing plan to create a Christian secular state which can then take over the world.  Microsoft, Intel, Coca-Cola, GM, and AOL-Time-Warner are part of the global conspiracy to take over the world.  It will begin in Rohan.  I mean, it will begin in Lebanon.)

(you laugh, but you don't know I'm only 5% joking)

[Refalm]

Yes, that's right, I said it - Intel is under contract to Microsoft to assist in data collection.  As a part of their ongoing plan to create a Christian secular state which can then take over the world.  Microsoft, Intel, Coca-Cola, GM, and AOL-Time-Warner are part of the global conspiracy to take over the world.  It will begin in Rohan.  I mean, it will begin in Lebanon.

I hate conspiracy theories being "in" again

[H_TeXMeX_H]

Actually Linux isn't safe either:

slashdot.org
According to this story at ITwire.com, they were able to exploit Linux and Windows machines, too.

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/5182/53/

[Laukev7]

I hate conspiracy theories being "in" again

Get used to them, they ain't theories anymore.

[Dark_Me]

I've seen this around at macrumors.com. There is a video of this exploit and the hacker plugs in a USB network card. The problem is not with Apple but with the external card.
EDIT: This seems to be the orginal source.
EDIT 2: The video can be found here.

[pofnlice]

so don't use the wireless cards...surely there's others which are compatible

[worker201]

My Apple actually came with a first party wireless card built in - the Airport Extreme card.  It doesn't seem like the Airport cards are affected by this particular attack.

It sorta seemed like he was using Linux in that demo.  Although it's probably possible to do it with some sort of DOS prompt.  Does Windows even come with a real integrated shell anymore?

[Dark_Me]

Take a look at this.

[H_TeXMeX_H]

Take a look at this.

Apple issuing threats again ? to cover their asses ? :thumbdwn:

[worker201]

Interesting.  I did notice that the guy in the demo actually made a point of saying at least twice that the fault was not in OSX.  In fact, he specifically stated that the fault was in 3rd-party devices.  If that's not true, and he just said it because Apple told him to, then David Maynor is a pussy.  Pure and simple, a bonafide pussy.

[Dark_Me]

Apple issuing threats again ? to cover their asses ? :thumbdwn:

Read the link again. How exactly did they threaten them? And with what? And why where they allowed to use a Mac and still say that there was a problem with the driver?

[H_TeXMeX_H]

Ahhh, I dunno anymore it confuses me ... I'm sure most of it is lies anyway