Mac OS X hacked in less than 30 minutes

Gaining root access to a Mac is "easy pickings," according to an individual who won an OS X hacking challenge last month by gaining root control of a machine using an unpublished security vulnerabilit

Published on March 6, 2006 By markdotnet In Personal Computing

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I KNEW IT! So did all Windows users. Since OS-X is built on Unix (a la Linux) I wonder how the hobby OS crowd will discount this.

My favorite quote from the article is: "The only thing which has kept Mac OS X relatively safe up until now is the fact that the market share is significantly lower than that of Microsoft Windows or the more common Unix platforms...If this situation was to change, in my opinion, things could be a lot worse on Mac OS X than they currently are on other operating systems," Archibald said at the time.

Comments (Page 2)

cactoblasta

on Mar 08, 2006

To turn on the LDAP interface or to open the SSH ports you have to navigate the fairly arcane OSX firewall. I doubt any ordinary mac user would ever bother to do so unless they had to use it, and I can't think of many uses the average user would have for such ports. I've never turned either on and I've had my mac for years. So the vast majority of macs would be immune to that 30 minute hack.

Drop125

on Mar 28, 2006

I for one think that all these hacking contest are a great idea..It helps the developers of these OS to find the flaws and fix them...The truth is, neither OS is bullet proof...Till it is neither camp can claim JACK CRAP........These little hack test will eventually make it so difficult for even the super idiots out there remain safe from the Super hyper smart hackers. Discussing these flaws of both OS's help to create a better eEnvironment, which benifits all of us.I loud all who hold these little chalanges and would like to see more of them in diffrent scenarios with prizes and true notiriety...These kids who practice there skills will get recognition for there ability to adapt and basicaly solve puzzles to improve the security.Hopefully leading to lucrative and profitable employment as a security programmer...MS ond Mac should hire those Russians who do the huge digital espionage and offwer them a salarie equal to what they could get from scroupulouse tactics...Wouldnt world wide notiriety as a hero be better than the secluded life of a crimminal...This can go on as a disscusion for ever...Lets see where it all ends.

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