Gone in 60 seconds: MacBook security flaw exposed
By Paul Miller 
posted August 3rd 2006 10:27AM
posted August 3rd 2006 10:27AM
posted August 3rd 2006 10:27AM
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One more pissing contest, it's all about testicular fortitude nowadays anyway. Now bring on some good gadgets! :P
I like Apple's campaign targeting people who also need to run windows (because Macs can do that). I also like how they fail to mention a PC can run OSX, albeit not completely legally.
"I just wanna say that I think Engadget is doing a great job.
I hate it when I get on here and guys like Joshua feel the need to complain about the "reporting" style. I think we all need to remember that this is a blog, not the NY Times. If you don't like the way they write, leave. No one wants you here anyway...
Nice work Paul. There are some people who appreciate the work you guys do!"
This is the most foolish thing I've heard all day.
1. Engadget has become a media outlet. NY Times - No. Media outlet - Yes.
2. Reagarding "no one wants you here anyway"...well, I don't think you'll ever work for Engadget, because you clearly don't get it. Engadget wants all of us here, and our friends, families, co-workers, and pets. They want as many eyes on this page as they can get. Why? CLICK REVENUE. You are foolish if you think Paul wrote this for fun. He is paid for his work. No ad clicks, no money. No money, no Paul. Simple. Go take an economics course, or work in the private sector for a few years, and you'll get it.
3. This ad (I'm calling it that, because that's all this articles is good for - ad clicks) is misleading - the title AND the text of the article. The fact is, MacBooks are getting a lot of press right now. They are the latest product offered by Apple, and Apple gets a lot of press. Frankly, this article/ad was written for one of two (or both) reasons: (a) the author was lazy and needed to get a story written and posted quickly, and/or (b) the author wanted to write an article that would get dugg and linked to from all over the Web, so that eyes would make their way to the ads on this page. Either way, it's bad reporting, bad writing, and bad journalism.
If Engadget is just a blog, and not a tech media outlet, perhaps they should leave the investigative journalism to the people who do it right. This article should be amended, and Paul should be straight with people.
And just so we are clear, I'm not a Mac fanboy. I do run a Mac-related Web site, but I spend a little time on it attacking Apple for things that I think their products lack. I've even attacked them for being a bit lazy when Unix exploits have been pointed out to them in the past. That said, I am a Mac user, and, as far as viruses go, I say smugness is fine. The fact is, there are NO exploits in the wild. Will that be the case forever? Maybe not - probably not. Anyone who thinks that hackers aren't already gunning for the Mac in large numbers is foolish. Look at this article, and similar articles like it. Write malware for Windows, and you get nothing. Write it for the Mac OS, and you get fame. That's what these guys want - fame. They are after us. They just haven't caught up to us yet.
"I just wanna say that I think Engadget is doing a great job.
I hate it when I get on here and guys like Joshua feel the need to complain about the "reporting" style. I think we all need to remember that this is a blog, not the NY Times. If you don't like the way they write, leave. No one wants you here anyway...
Nice work Paul. There are some people who appreciate the work you guys do!"
This is the most foolish thing I've heard all day.
1. Engadget has become a media outlet. NY Times - No. Media outlet - Yes.
2. Reagarding "no one wants you here anyway"...well, I don't think you'll ever work for Engadget, because you clearly don't get it. Engadget wants all of us here, and our friends, families, co-workers, and pets. They want as many eyes on this page as they can get. Why? CLICK REVENUE. You are foolish if you think Paul wrote this for fun. He is paid for his work. No ad clicks, no money. No money, no Paul. Simple. Go take an economics course, or work in the private sector for a few years, and you'll get it.
3. This ad (I'm calling it that, because that's all this articles is good for - ad clicks) is misleading - the title AND the text of the article. The fact is, MacBooks are getting a lot of press right now. They are the latest product offered by Apple, and Apple gets a lot of press. Frankly, this article/ad was written for one of two (or both) reasons: (a) the author was lazy and needed to get a story written and posted quickly, and/or (b) the author wanted to write an article that would get dugg and linked to from all over the Web, so that eyes would make their way to the ads on this page. Either way, it's bad reporting, bad writing, and bad journalism.
If Engadget is just a blog, and not a tech media outlet, perhaps they should leave the investigative journalism to the people who do it right. This article should be amended, and Paul should be straight with people.
And just so we are clear, I'm not a Mac fanboy. I do run a Mac-related Web site, but I spend a little time on it attacking Apple for things that I think their products lack. I've even attacked them for being a bit lazy when Unix exploits have been pointed out to them in the past. That said, I am a Mac user, and, as far as viruses go, I say smugness is fine. The fact is, there are NO exploits in the wild. Will that be the case forever? Maybe not - probably not. Anyone who thinks that hackers aren't already gunning for the Mac in large numbers is foolish. Look at this article, and similar articles like it. Write malware for Windows, and you get nothing. Write it for the Mac OS, and you get fame. That's what these guys want - fame. They are after us. They just haven't caught up to us yet.
hey guys...Im a PC user and find this "exploit" rather unbelievable to claim as a vulernability in Macs. What it all comes down to is the 3rd party drivers regardless of OS. So don't blame Apple or Microsoft in this case, but rather the 3rd party.
lol. enjoy your 50 viruses as opposed to 115,000 viruses for windows.
But i'll just keep my firewall and router up and enjoy my 500,000 applications as opposed to your 50.
Apple fanboys are funny.
Most of these glitches are several times worse + across the board on windows-intel platform, yet they have never received this kind of coverage. For instance, laptop bottom has been dangerously hot for years. I wouldn't put my friend's Compaq running windows 98 anywhere near my flesh (yeah, you heard me, Compaq). Fans whining noises are major issues in most Toshiba and Sony. Security? I don't even know where to start.
So, if it's not too much trouble, please slap an clear disclaimer somewhere. Thanks.
Dave Zatz wrote:
Washington Post writer confirms MacBook stock wireless card/drivers are vulnerable:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2006/08/followup_to_macbook_post.html
His Proof? "Because THE HACKERS TOLD ME SO."
WTF???!!
The question is not, are there security flaws, as there are going to be such flaws in any system (including this flaw in Linux and Windows too), occasionally even huge ones (as this seems to be), rather the question is how quickly can Apple (and other companies) respond to and patch it? We shall see. It's not like this is the first security flaw found on a Mac. It's a particularly bad one, but the key is fixing the flaw in a timely fashion, and Apple seems to have done that in the past, unlike Microsoft's deplorable record in this regard. Is there any reason to believe that Apple won't fix this issue quickly?
jiltedcitizen wrote:
"Do all the Apple fanboi's here realize that Apple out sources things like the wifi card?"
The AirPort cards are not outsourced. Thanks for playing. Now crawl back into your parents' basement, troll.
Apple!! yuck..
Yeah because mac's are garbage. Oh! You can install windows? No way! So that means you should buy a PC for cheaper. All mac users get ripped of on hardware anyways. Ha ha ha. Bad Kids
I want to suck up like Kyle and say that I too think that engadget is doing a great job
To and all the lame arses that think that the reporting style is not up to par or that the reporting is biased, or it is a mac/windows/linux/whatever fanboi site can go start their own blog and make it work.
Until then, shut the fark up and enjoy.
This is one of my simple pleasure each day and I enjoy the witty comments – not the loser remarks sticking to the writers…. So don’t fark it up for me
Okay? :-)
"i havent had a virus on my machines in 3 months... "
That is the lamest / funniest thing I have read in a long time. You are proud that you HAVEN'T HAD A VIRUS IN **3 MONTHS** OMFG U R TEH SUX!!!!!!
PS. to Kevin,
can you please list the 500,000 applications available for the PC?
or is this just pointless hyperbole?
PPS. Macs run Windoze, now. (Not that I care)
Please, "security flaws" are a dime a dozen, Apple just pointed out 12 this week . . . call me when there is a rampant exploit(iloveyou) that causes billions in damages(sobig.f)
Security Update 2006-004 is recommended for all users and improves the security of the following components.
AFP Server
Bluetooth
Bom
DHCP
dyld
fetchmail
gnuzip
ImageIO
LaunchServices
OpenSSH
telnet
WebKit
um....the MacBook has a built in airport, but doesn't have a wireless card slot....so it happened on a MacBook Pro...not a MacBook
I thought I might clarify
...and as said before they used a 3rd Party card
(I'm not a fanboy by the way...bast@$#*...not that anyboy said that though)
Peace...Mediakid
I think it's silly how the commercials say hey look you can run windows on a mac now! That to me basically says Mac OS isn't good enough and you need Windows to make it better. Oh well.
"To and all the lame arses that think that the reporting style is not up to par or that the reporting is biased, or it is a mac/windows/linux/whatever fanboi site can go start their own blog and make it work."
This is nothing more than BS. It's like saying that, if you don't like the way any of the media organizations in this country report on a story, you should gather a few million dollars and start your own media company. It's essentially saying, "shut up, like it, and don't say anything bad about the intergrity of a news organization, even if you disagree." Following that path creates nothing but drones who fail to question anything in life. Where does that end? If you disagree with a political party, should you not criticize it? Should you start your own?
If that's the world you want to live in, there's some great land in any of the various Communist countries where you'll be very happy.
"I think it's silly how the commercials say hey look you can run windows on a mac now! That to me basically says Mac OS isn't good enough and you need Windows to make it better. Oh well."
I suppose you could twist it to mean that, but...
The message is that you can use a Mac, and, while you get a great OS, if you also have applications that need Windows to run (CAD apps come to mind, for example), you can install Windows and run it as well. In additon, you should also remember that Apple is a HARDWARE company FIRST. For them, selling a few extra Macs to a bunch of Windows users who would have never purchased their hardware anyway is a good deal. Not only do they sell the hardware, but they get OS X in front of one more user, and let that user be the judge (rather than listening to their in-house IT "Professional" with an MCSE, A+ cert, and a personal interest in keeping everyone on Windows). The OS, which has consistently (YES, consistently) gotten rave reviews from IT professionals, security prefessionals, and the tech media in general, is a product that comes with the hardware. Simply put, Apple makes good hardware, and happens to throw in a great OS. I would like them to move to more of a software company's model, but I'm not running Apple.
That all having been said...
It seems that, even though Apple's primary product, when it comes to a Mac, is the hardware, the OS is good enough to beat the pants off another certain company with a business model that makes it a SOFTWARE company - thier OS being their flagship product. Funny that, eh?
Are you even a Mac user?
I ask the question above because I think we need to start asking people who trash other operating systems whether or not they are, or have RECENTLY (last two years) been a user of that OS. If the answer is no, I think the ears get turned off. Many Mac users, like myself, came from Windows. We know both operating systems very well. Those who are only Windows users, who also happen to be trashing the Mac OS...please...it's really sad to see people trashing something they know nothing about simply because it makes them feel better about running another product. Apple and Windows fanboyism aside, Apple does make solid machines and a great OS. Microsoft has become lazy and too large to manage, or so it seems.
What will Vista have that the Mac OS will not?
What will the Mac OS have that Vista does not?
What is most-important to you?
Those are the only three questions that matter. The choice of OS is then up to the user.
But there is no slot in the mac for the card.. Marked as Dupe . (J/K) This is engadget.