“I’m issuing the following challenge to David Maynor and Jon Ellch,” John Gruber writes for Daring Fireball.
If you can hijack a brand-new MacBook out of the box, it’s yours to keep.
Gruber writes, “I don’t expect to lose this particular bet — but I don’t expect to win it, either. I expect to be ignored. I don’t think Maynor and Ellch have discovered such a vulnerability in the default MacBook AirPort card and driver, and so, if I’m right, they certainly won’t accept this challenge. I think what they’ve discovered — if they’ve in fact discovered anything useful at all — is a class of potential Wi-Fi-based exploit, which they demonstrated on a rigged MacBook to generate publicity at the expense of the Mac’s renowned reputation for security, but that they have not found an actual exploit based on this technique that works against the MacBook’s built-in AirPort.”
“If I’m wrong, and they have discovered such a vulnerability, they may or may not choose to accept this challenge. But it’s a bet that they’ll only accept if they can win,” Gruber writes. “It comes down to this. If I’m wrong, it’d be worth $1099 to know that MacBook users are in fact at risk. And if I’m right, someone needs to call Maynor and Ellch on their bullshit.”
Full article, with Gruber’s stipulations for the challenge, here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “BuriedCaesar” and “Rainy Day” for the heads up.]
Related MacDailyNews articles:
The curious case of the supposed Apple MacBook Wi-Fi hack – August 21, 2006
SecureWorks admits falsifying Apple MacBook ‘60-second wireless hijacking?’ – August 18, 2006
Re: Brian Krebs’ reporting on supposed MacBook Wi-Fi exploit – August 04, 2006
Hijacking an Apple Macbook in 60 seconds video posted online – August 03, 2006
Hijacking an Apple Macbook in 60 seconds – August 02, 2006
The challenge gives me some difficulties…
I need a person that doens’t know computers in order to crack it open, and play with files. I can’t really do that with people aware of macs’ vulnerabilities.
LOL, I had a PC user threatening me to do the same things as you state in your post above. *He* claimed again that he had all the tools to do those things on ANY computer online. *He* said no PC was *closed* to him and that HE was sorry to break up the dream of me poor Apple users that also my Mac connected to my wireless network at home was an open book for him.
For him, only few minutes would be needed to break through and leave a prank on my desktop. He is a friend of my neighbor. Said: fine, come over, I am away the weekend. You have 48 hrs to play with it. I will know you are no tool if I see whatever you like on my desktop: I have nothing there, it is a clean and pristine desktop.
Came back. Nothing on the desktop. My neighbor said his friend spent hours trying all his tools to find an opening. Actually, he was so clueless that he could not even find my wi-fi network (it is in stealth: it does not show on tools snooping for wireless networks).
Neighbor said his friend claimed I must have chickened out and that I switched off the network. LOL. My Mac runs in stealth mode as well (Advanced setting in the firewall). It does not even reply to pings. The tool still does not believe he could not get into my Mac, not even my wi-fi network. He still believes he can get into Macs if he had the chance.
ROFLMAO
If you are born idiot you have chances you are going to die idiot. Stay on Windows: you deserve it.
p@ul, you do not get it: I need a person that doens’t know computers in order to crack it open, and play with files. I can’t really do that with people aware of macs’ vulnerabilities.
Apple knows that as well. The default configuration of Mac OS X is closed. Users that do not know computers have no clue about how to OPEN it. People aware will open services and ports without compromising default safety.
The challenge is with a brand new, UNTOUCHED Macbook, that is without Maynor and Ellch able to compromised its default security before hand.