BlackHat2009
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Apple keyboard gets hacked like a ripe papaya, perp caught on video
As far as Apple is concerned, the Black Hat 2009 hackers conference didn't end soon enough. Having promptly patched the iPhone vulnerability, Cupertino is facing another security hole, this time in its keyboards. A hacker going by the pseudonym of K. Chen has come up with a way, using HIDFirmwareUpdaterTool, to inject malicious code into the keyboard's firmware. While it's not yet possible to perform this hack remotely, the fact it occurs at the firmware level means no amount of OS cleanser or anti-virals will remedy it -- which might be a bit of a bother to MacBook owners who can't simply swap to an uninfected keyboard. Panic is hardly advisable, as Chen is collaborating with Apple on a fix, but if you want to be freaked out by his simple keylogger in action, hit up the video after the break.
O2: SMS security flaw on iPhone to be patched Saturday
Yesterday's news from the Black Hat Technical Security Conference in Las Vegas about the SMS security flaw affecting iPhone, Android, and Windows Mobile smartphones was a bit unnerving. Through skillful manipulation of SMS messages, an attacker could gain control of a smartphone.BBC News reports that UK mobile provider O2 has received word from Apple about a patch for the security flaw on the iPhone. The patch, in the form of a software update, will be available Saturday, August 1, 2009. As with all updates to the iPhone, the security patch will appear in iTunes.Considering the potential for mischief on the part of hackers, it is entirely possible that AT&T, O2, and other carriers will notify their customers of the availability of the update. Whether or not that message will come through SMS remains to be seen.Be sure to keep an eye on TUAW or our Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/tuaw) tomorrow and we'll notify you as soon as the patch makes an appearance.UPDATE: iPhone OS 3.0.1 is now available for download from iTunes. 297.9MB in size.
