Slashdot Mirror


Apple Responds to Exploit

Dave Schroeder writes, "This isn't so much of a root vulnerability as a default configuration that trusts the integrity of the local network services. This functionality has been around since NeXTSTEP, and is designed to allow for auto-configuration of new servers/machines brought into the network. The quick 'fix' for the vast majority of users who choose to implement it is to uncheck LDAPv3 and NetInfo altogether in Directory Access. Or, if LDAP services are used, just uncheck 'Use DHCP-supplied LDAP Server' in LDAPv3. ... One could argue that these features should be off by default, but if they are, it kind of wrecks the whole auto-configuration scheme." This sounds related to a great new feature in Mac OS X Server 10.3/Xserve called "automatic setup" that -- for machines that come with it preinstalled -- will get their address and LDAP server via DHCP and look for configuration files, and automatically configure the entire server, without any interaction beyond plugging it into the network and turning it on.

351 comments

  1. Pudge by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Troll

    Is nothing but an Apple apologist. Pretty sad that someone can be so suckered into something. Apple is OK, but they aren't perfect (no company is).

  2. Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    The quick 'fix' for the vast majority of users who choose to implement it is to uncheck LDAPv3 and NetInfo altogether in Directory Access. Or, if LDAP services are used, just uncheck 'Use DHCP-supplied LDAP Server' in LDAPv3.

    Yes that should be obvious to Mac users

    1. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by tgibbs · · Score: 4, Informative
      Yes that should be obvious to Mac users
      It's very complicated. You run Directory Access and a window comes up with a series of checkboxes. Then you have to uncheck the ones Apple says to uncheck.
    2. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by shaitand · · Score: 1

      Umm what guess? There was a press statement prior to that story in which either phoenix or ms one of the two announced an agreement between the two companies to bundle the bios with windows. How exactly does that constitute a guess? And what does it have to do with this story?

      Keep your story related grudges within the story ;)

    3. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And the BIOS is going to hijack your computer and use the spare computing cycles? Care to substantiate that modded up, unfounded rumor?

      I know, it's MS and all, and any evil deed that they might do is modded up, no matter how unfounded or ridiculous the accusation.

      Apple, OTOH, has already disabled OSes via BIOS, and locked BeOS out. MS has a long, long way to go before they catch up to Apple's asshole BIOS games.

    4. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by shaitand · · Score: 1

      As far as Apple goes I agree. And I apologize, I assumed you were talking about Microsoft trying (and quite possibly succeeding) in locking other operating systems out of the common pc for good.

      Although to be honest, most of the nasty stuff I've theorized about Microsoft's plans at various points they've done, tried to do, or are moving toward now. I'm rather impresed with their ability to anticipate and come up with more and more underhanded and shady business schemes everyday.

      I've found that the best way to determine what microsoft will do in the future is to close your eyes and think what you would do if you had virtually unlimited resources, greed with no bounds, no morals, AND got your rocks off by increasing your wealth only where reems as many people in the arse as possible.

    5. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The 90's just called. They want their joke back.

    6. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by Danta · · Score: 1

      Not too simple indeed, since I run Mac OS X 10.1.5 and there is no application called "Directory Access". And in the application "Dicrectory Setup" there is no "Use DCHP-supplied LDAP Server" checkbox anywhere, so I just unchecked LDAPv2 altogether in the hope it won't break anything.

    7. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by DrXym · · Score: 1
      And Apple is going to email each Mac user personally with these instructions and telephone support?


      I didn't think so. Either they release a patch that does this step for the user, or they release the patch that fixes the problem. Expecting users to read advisories or follow step by step instructions for some thing called 'LDAP' ("wtf is that? Is it like WAP?") is simply not going to work even assuming they did email everyone.

    8. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by The+Infamous+Grimace · · Score: 1

      In 10.1.x, I believe that you can highlight the service, and click on 'Configure' to disable 'Use DHCP-supplied LDAP server'. Not sure, though, since I just (2 days ago) finally got my old PB to run the Jaguar installer.

      But yes, the solution should be clearer.

      (tig)

      --
      Ignorance and prejudice and fear
      Walk hand in hand
    9. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by tgibbs · · Score: 3, Funny
      Not too simple indeed, since I run Mac OS X 10.1.5 and there is no application called "Directory Access".

      Yes, perhaps they'll eventually come out with an advisory for the people who are lagging two generations behind on their OS version and who are on untrusted networks. Not too surprising that they dealt with the bulk of current users first.

    10. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by Danta · · Score: 1

      Since the last Security Update for OS X 10.1 was over half a year ago, I do not expect any advisory or patch for us. It seems Apple no longer supports OS X 10.1.

    11. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by dubiousmike · · Score: 1

      "automatically configure the entire server, without any interaction beyond plugging it into the network and turning it on"

      Isn't this type of methodology what gets wireless users in trouble?

    12. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by TheCrazyFinn · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Not surprising, since from Apple's view, it's really a beta. Jaguar was the first version of OS X that was ready for prime time, and thus I suspect that it will be the first one to have real long-lived support from Apple, since it's also the end of the road OS-wise for OldWorld machines (Beige G3's and Wallstreet Powerbooks).

      That said, the Technote on this will likely have instructions for pre-Jaguar versions of OS X.

      --
      "You've got an invalid haircut" -Warren Zevon - Life'll Kill Ya
    13. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by pudge · · Score: 1

      "automatically configure the entire server, without any interaction beyond plugging it into the network and turning it on"

      Isn't this type of methodology what gets wireless users in trouble?


      As noted, the feature is for servers: Xserve boxes that come with Mac OS X Server 10.3 preinstalled. It is designed for rackmount systems where you have lots of boxes to configure. Just don't plug such a box into a network the first time with things like wireless access points on the network. Wait until you configure the box for the first time before you connect it to the rest of the world, and you're fine.

    14. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by atheken · · Score: 2, Interesting

      just so you know:
      a) you've probably never owned a Mac, or run OS X for an extended period of time
      b) Surprisingly enough, sophistication doesn't require confusion. Easy of use doesn't cut back what OS X can do..

      As a user of windows, linux and mac, I have to say Mac is by far my favorite, because it is VERY POWERFUL, but EASY and STRAIGHTFORWARD to configure.

    15. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by McAddress · · Score: 1

      release a patch 2 change settings. wtf are you thinking. then everybody downloads it, and people get angry because things stop working.

    16. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by prockcore · · Score: 1

      Not surprising, since from Apple's view, it's really a beta. Jaguar was the first version of OS X that was ready for prime time,

      So what you're saying is that Apple spent all of last year (2002) sending out millions of end-user machines with a beta OS on it?

    17. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by aristotle-dude · · Score: 1

      We are talking about the server edition, not the desktop OS.

      --
      Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
    18. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by DrXym · · Score: 1

      Oooh that's a tough nut to crack! Perhaps some kind of popup is in order before applying the patch?

    19. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by Uma+Thurman · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Hey, you're in my opt-in list now, jerk.

      --
      This is America, damnit. Speak Spanish!
    20. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by pudge · · Score: 1

      You violated my one rule in my journal discussions, and you got the prescribed penalty for it. Hell, I even replied and said you were correct. What more do you want? Not that I care ...

    21. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by Uma+Thurman · · Score: 0, Troll

      Unfortunately, my rule about the opt-in for my freaks list cannot be broken. I'll be watching, and if you say something wrong, I'll do my best Ann Coulter (if she were a liberal) impression for you.

      --
      This is America, damnit. Speak Spanish!
    22. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by pudge · · Score: 1

      Fine, you just won't be able to do it in my journal. :-)

      However, just to show I am a sport: if you say you won't flame anymore in my journal, I'll un-foe you. I don't care to have enemies, I just care to keep my journal discussions civil, to some degree. I don't care either way, but if you wish to participate, you are welcome to.

    23. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by Uma+Thurman · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      I am a strictly a tit-for-tat fellow. More tit than tat, possibly, but that probably because I'm actually a guy.

      My freaks list is the "opt-in". I follow them around and abusively point out their lies in the manner of Ann Coulter.

      Don't know about your journal problem. Seems like you've got a real dilemma here.

      I don't have any enemies either. Spreadin' the love around.

      --
      This is America, damnit. Speak Spanish!
    24. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by pudge · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So, you don't care whose rules YOU break, you just care that others follow YOUR rules.

      Typical liberal.

    25. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by Uma+Thurman · · Score: 0, Troll

      There you go with the false dichotomy, which is typical for a lying conservative.

      I'm not breaking your rules at all. You've blocked me out of your forum. There you go.

      You're just mad because if you game the system that way, you've got another problem. In other words, a conservative isn't happy until he can have his cake and eat it too.

      Also, there's no rules for you to follow, yet another lie of yours that I've exposed. When you click the foes button, I click my friend button and I follow you. When you click the neutral button, I don't follow you. When you click the friend button, I click my friend button and don't follow you. Those are my rules, not yours.

      --
      This is America, damnit. Speak Spanish!
    26. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by pudge · · Score: 1

      I'm not breaking your rules at all. You've blocked me out of your forum.

      You broke my rules for flaming, which is what got you blocked. Odd that this surpasses your understanding.

    27. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by DeltaSigma · · Score: 1

      No, look, it's real simple because they're not rules, they're policies.

      The only person who should be expected to adhere to your policy is you.

      Let me recap: Your policy is to block people from participating in your journal by marking them as foes once their contributions seem uncivil (not saying you're wrong by italicizing that, just marking my skepticism since I don't feel like looking into the matter, but I could easily be wrong).

      His policy is to give to people that mark him as a foe what they have given to him.

      There's no policy broken because both have been adhered to.

    28. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by Uma+Thurman · · Score: 1

      Note that it wasn't you that I flamed, but one of your users. Twas following him, because he was in my opt-in list.

      However, I am considering some restraint when it comes to flaming someone in a third-party user journal. Unless the incident is particularly grievous, I will probably not post in a user journal, unless it is owned by the person who opted-in to my flamage list. This is not due to any particular consideration to your journal in particular though. I am just acknowleging that you have a point, and in the interest of fairness, I must let everyone who wishes to help improve my technique do so.

      --
      This is America, damnit. Speak Spanish!
    29. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by pudge · · Score: 1

      No, look, it's real simple

      LOL. Obviously not, because you don't get it.

    30. Re:Quick fix, just not easy for Mac users.. by pudge · · Score: 1

      Note that it wasn't you that I flamed, but one of your users. Twas following him, because he was in my opt-in list.

      I understand that.

      And thanks for your understanding. I've de-foe'd you. Of course, you may wish to keep hassling me, or other users in my journal discussions, as is your right, in which case I will re-foe you. Whatever. :)

  3. It's an old argument by Space+cowboy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    but it's as valid today as it ever was. There is a dichotomy between security and ease-of-use. Hitherto it has been impossible to have the one and the other simultaneously. Choose one.

    Apple choose ease-of-use, and get criticised for leaving an open security "hole". Microsoft choose the same, and get criticised for (well, just about everything except wonderful marketing), and Linux chooses the other, and is criticised for poor ease-of-use.

    That's not to say it's impossible, but it needs more than the current level of effort that goes into multi-node design. Apple is taking the first steps, and they've been somewhat burnt. Let's hope that doesn't discourage them from carrying on down the path... Unix as a genre can only learn from a successful easy-to-use and secure implementation of multi-machine computing. The thing is that you only learn by trying....

    Simon.

    --
    Physicists get Hadrons!
    1. Re:It's an old argument by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can someone please tell me where the sound at the beginning of this comes from the name of the song at the end? Thanks!

    2. Re:It's an old argument by falcon5768 · · Score: 1
      THANK YOU

      Honestly the problem with Microsoft isnt just their security holes for ease of use (cause there are quite a few that arnt becuase of ease of use.) Its one of those things with them where their consumer should be ease of use while their buisness shouldnt.

      ACTUALLY thats a argument both OS X and Windows should have. Consumer its understandable, but buisness (ie server class software,) you should be hireing people who know better, and likewise wouldnt need it to be checked on. Sure it makes it a few minutes less timewise for a tech, BUT it also allows joe anyone to say they are a tech and look like it, but not know how to patch up this hole like someone who knows better would.

      --

      "Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."

    3. Re:It's an old argument by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > There is a dichotomy between security and ease-of-use.

      Besides k-whoring, this is basically an apology for Apple. Rather than leaving a backdoor in the system, Apple could have easily whipped up a "Directory Setup Wizard" that could have *easily* enabled this setting for the 5% of Macs that might need it.

    4. Re:It's an old argument by jazman_777 · · Score: 3, Funny
      Apple choose ease-of-use, and get criticised for leaving an open security "hole". Microsoft choose the same, and get criticised for (well, just about everything except wonderful marketing), and Linux chooses the other, and is criticised for poor ease-of-use.

      Uh, you mean Red Hat Linux, where every service and it's 3rd cousin is running?

      Try OpenBSD, which has just about nothing running default.

      --
      Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
    5. Re:It's an old argument by cgenman · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'd find the "Microsoft security vulnerabilities are the fault of ease-of-use" argument a little more valid if Microsoft's software were actually vulnerable due to useful features.

      For example, the messenger service isn't used by anyone by spam senders, e-mail scripting was never a useful device to anyone, and a fragile, naked file system doesn't lend itself to easy usage anyway. A web browser that can be told to run arbitrary code due to a buffer overflow is not vulnerable because it is easy to use, but because it is poorly written. The autodetection of hardware and updating of drivers is very easy to use, and has (as far as I know) never been the source of an exploit.

      You can both have security and ease-of-use... Just design a closed system with very limited purposes. A Hub, for example, is extremely easy to use, and has few possible points of security vulnerability. Routers, on the other hand, are frequently a bit archaic in their setup and get hacked all of the time.

      That's not to say that your point is invalid, but that there are other factors involved... Flexibility, control, effort, etc.

      I guess the point of this is that if I have to re-install windows or edit the registry again before Christmas I'm buying myself an iMac.

    6. Re:It's an old argument by Catnapster · · Score: 5, Funny

      No, the parent is right. The security holes in MS products are all about ease-of-use; just to the cracker, though, not the user.

      --
      The world can be wrong today for once.
    7. Re:It's an old argument by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 1
      Slashdot, where saying something everyone hates turns you into a Troll even if it makes a point.

      Not exactly. Just because a post is considered to be trolling, it doesn't mean that you yourself are a troll.

    8. Re:It's an old argument by Maserati · · Score: 5, Funny
      --
      Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1992-1951
    9. Re:It's an old argument by Baadfast · · Score: 1

      By and large I agree except for

      "For example, the messenger service isn't used by anyone by spam senders, e-mail scripting was never a useful device to anyone"

      Google these and you'll see that just because you haven't found a legitimate use for them doesn't mean there aren't any.

    10. Re:It's an old argument by rduke15 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      the messenger service isn't used by anyone

      A linux box here with an ISDN card sends Windows popups with "who is calling whom" info to the Windows boxes on the net. It occasionally annoys the children when they are playing a game, but we find it useful.

      In a company, the users seem to like the popup announcing them they have new mail. I intend to replace their Exchange server with a Linux box, so I guess I'll also have to script some gadget talking to messenger to keep them happy.

    11. Re:It's an old argument by tealover · · Score: 3, Interesting

      e-mail scripting was never a useful device to anyone

      Exposing the Outlook object model to .vbs files embedded in emails was pretty stupid on Microsoft's part, but the ability to script emails is very valuable from an organizational standpoint. The Security Model (for Active X objects and Windows login) that Microsoft defined was the real culprit.

      --
      -- You see, there would be these conclusions that you could jump to
    12. Re:It's an old argument by shaitand · · Score: 1

      no no no, I don't think he was saying that there aren't legitimate uses for them. Merely that most people don't use them.

    13. Re:It's an old argument by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ergo, concordantly, vis-a-vis.

    14. Re:It's an old argument by sahala · · Score: 1
      There is a dichotomy between security and ease-of-use. Hitherto it has been impossible to have the one and the other simultaneously. Choose one. Geez you sound like Gandalf or something. There's no physical reason why you can't have both. Having a great UI and security is a resource allocation (ie. business) problem , not a rule of the physical universe.

      I could also say that easily distributable digital music and artists getting paid are mutually exclusive concepts, but I would be dead wrong, as this rule only exists in the way the music industry conducts business in the US today.

    15. Re:It's an old argument by szap · · Score: 1
      Apple choose ease-of-use, and get criticised for leaving an open security "hole".
      ...
      That's not to say it's impossible...
      Right, not impossible, but is it that hard to pop a window up to require the user to confirm importing the settings from so-and-so server before doing it? Sounds like apple being apathetic to security rather than just "choosing" ease-of-use by design.
    16. Re:It's an old argument by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which part of "e-mail scripting was never a useful device to anyone" didn't you understand? That's a direct quote. Just because the root of this thread is an idiot didn't mean the rest of us didn't understand him.

    17. Re:It's an old argument by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The sound is from the movie "2001," the song is "Don't Fear the Reaper."

    18. Re:It's an old argument by alex_ant · · Score: 0

      (-1, "Hitherto")

    19. Re:It's an old argument by Webmonger · · Score: 4, Funny

      Hey, buffer overflows mean that the functionality provided is limited only by your imagination!

    20. Re:It's an old argument by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      I'd find the "Microsoft security vulnerabilities are the fault of ease-of-use" argument a little more valid if Microsoft's software were actually vulnerable due to useful features.
      I'd find it a little more valid if Microsoft's software was easy to use.
    21. Re:It's an old argument by RzUpAnmsCwrds · · Score: 5, Informative

      "For example, the messenger service isn't used by anyone by spam senders"

      System administators have used it for years. It's only recently that the spammers have decided to use it. That's why Microsoft is disabling the service by default in XPSP2.

      "fragile, naked file system"

      I don't honestly know what you are talking about. NTFS is a journaling filesystem with some very strong features. Metadata for every file, unlimited alternate data streams (Microsoft's version of the HFS data/resource forks, but you can have as many as you want), strong security permissions that even the OS obeys that can be applied on a per-user basis with inheritance and an allow/don't allow/deny system. NTFS one of the strongest attributes of Windows. Now, the permissions aren't set strict enough out of the box (and most users make their account part of the Administrators group - just like running as root all of the time).

      Imagine how a Linux system would hold up under the following situation:
      - User always running as root, even when they don't have to
      - User downloading and executing unknown code from random locations (screensavers, shareware, warez)
      - User installing software that is bundled with programs that spy on them / mess up their system
      - User never patching their system, even though the OS can do it automatically
      - User not using a password on their system in many cases
      - User downloading and executing unknown code (in email attachments) even though system warns of extreme security risk
      - User not using firewall even though it is built into the OS

      Now, Microsoft could do more:
      - No mail client should even be able to execute attachments. Even with a security warning. I do believe that Outlook Express now prevents you from executing attachments at all unless you uncheck a box hidden in some configuration dialog.
      - The firewall should be on by default. XP SP2 fixes this.
      - Users shouldn't run as root all of the time. Perhaps a warning when they log on would be helpful. The setup wizard already creates non-root users, but most people don't use them. I don't think users are adequtely informed of the security risks of running as root.
      - Windows should come with an antivirus solution. Something integrated and transparent. Sometimes, you need to run untrusted code, and an good antivirus program can help reduce the threat.
      - Windows should have more restrictive permissions by default. Currently, non-root users can write to "program files" and potentially destroy software (although not the OS).

      Finally, some things that are good:
      - As I said before, the permissions system is very good
      - Windows File Protection is good for those stupid installers that try to overwrite system libraries
      - Systm Restore is nice for those people who are too cheap or lazy to have a real backup solution
      - Automatic updates are nice - if only people would use them
      - Driver rollback is nice for nuking "crap rev" drivers

      "I guess the point of this is that if I have to re-install windows or edit the registry again before Christmas"

      If you do the following things, you won't have to:

      - Don't run as root (administrator) unless you absolutely must
      - Don't download and execute unknown code unless you have scanned it with an antivirus. Don't run it as root unless you absolutely must (many programs will install as nonroot)
      - Turn on the XP firewall
      - Run a spyware detection tool such as ad-aware or spybot to get rid of the crap
      - Install the latest patches and service packs

      Basically, use common sense. If Windows users would realize that, no, your computer *is not* a toaster and it *does* require a bit of work to keep it secure, there would be many fewer viruses and worms.

      Second, if you *ever* have to edit the registry, you're doing something very wrong. That's like saying that you should dismantle your entire car because one of your headlights is out.

    22. Re:It's an old argument by Minna+Kirai · · Score: 2, Insightful

      There's no physical reason why you can't have both. Having a great UI and security is a resource allocation

      Yes, there are real, physical (derived from natural laws) conflicts between ease and security.

      An easier version of SSH wouldn't force the user to memorize passwords, which is a fundamental conflict with security. An automobile would be easier to use if you didn't need to carry around an ignition key.

      However, the post you were responding to didn't say that. It said "Hitherto it has been impossible", which is an equivocation- a statement of how things have been so far, not a claim it must remain so in the future.

    23. Re:It's an old argument by cgenman · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Good advice overall, which any computer user should abide by. However, I'd like to point out a few things.

      First of all by "file system," I had meant the organizational file heiarchy in Windows, the portion that the OS sees. You can still break all of the links to a program by, for example, re-naming a folder. Many programs fail to work if installed on something other than the C: drive... Many of these are Microsoft's programs. The Windows folder is a hodgepodge of thousands of items, some of which are protected and some of which aren't, but few of which are intelligently laid out for either the user or the programmer. I agree that NTFS is a much better file system than Fat32 was (though the fact that Windows XP doesn't support 160 GB drives out of the box is pretty shameful), but what the OS does with it is shabby.

      Second, if you *ever* have to edit the registry, you're doing something very wrong. That's like saying that you should dismantle your entire car because one of your headlights is out.

      Actually, some programs treat registry settings like they were a preferences dialog. Zone Alarm, for example, like thousands of other pieces of software has an annoying splash screen that appears every time your computer boots, and the only place the preference exists is in the registry. Program registrations need to be backed up from and occasionally restored to the registry... It's just a bad idea to keep your copy restriction authentication and your preferences in the same structure, but that's exactly what Microsoft designed.

      As a game developer, and an out-of-work one at that, Windows does need to be reinstalled every 6 months or so... If the constant flow of test games doesn't get you, the constant flow of uninstallers will. Rolling back to restore points is useful, but A: it doesn't always work and B: it doesn't address the cumulative damage of accrued extensions.

      As an addition to your suggestions, the user needs to check what icons are in the bottom-right hand corner of their screen, and shut off what isn't needed. Many people I have spoken too don't realize that those are applications and not just quick-launch shortcuts.

    24. Re:It's an old argument by ernst_mulder · · Score: 3, Informative

      Second, if you *ever* have to edit the registry, you're doing something very wrong. That's like saying that you should dismantle your entire car because one of your headlights is out.

      That is simply so wrong. There are so many applications that require the user to edit their registry. Not by design of course but because of software bugs.

      Some simple cases to illustrate my point.

      Exact Globe 2000 (administration software) suddenly won't properly print anymore. Call helpdesk. Remove some keys and voila printing works again.

      Windows XP won't remember Outlook Express' password. Look problem up on microsoft.com. Advice: remove some keys and voila problem solved.

      I could go on, I won't.

      Editing the registry has become such a common solution to all kindsof problems. Not necessarily because the USER does something wrong (unless using Windows in the first place is considered WRONG :-) ).

      Ernst Mulder

    25. Re:It's an old argument by Florian+Weimer · · Score: 1

      For example, the messenger service isn't used by anyone by spam senders

      It's ofen used to singal print job completion in a heterogenous environment.

    26. Re:It's an old argument by devnullify · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You don't need the OS to protect you. All it takes is some common sense.

      So when Microsoft implements all these annoyances (for someone competent with common sense), I'll be doing something wrong by editing the registry to turn them off?

    27. Re:It's an old argument by Trull · · Score: 1

      Repeat after me:

      Its not a bug, its a feature!

      Clear skies

      Torc

      --
      -- NSY - SY OOT - Doric signs on local shop doors.
    28. Re:It's an old argument by sql*kitten · · Score: 1

      For example, the messenger service isn't used by anyone by spam senders

      The messenger service has been around a lot longer than TCP/IP was the de facto standard. Its intended use is exactly the same as the wall command on Unix, for sysadmins to make announcements to all users.

      e-mail scripting was never a useful device to anyone

      Sure it is. You can use the Outlook/Exchange combination to build workflow systems routing forms around. Lots of companies do things like travel booking and expense approval with such systems (altho' less now that the web is so ubiquitous)

      a fragile, naked file system doesn't lend itself to easy usage anyway

      FAT is ancient - shall we compare it to Unix' first filesystem? And NTFS is really very good - NT systems have had ACLs on the filesystem and journalling for over a decade now - Linux is only just getting them.

      A web browser that can be told to run arbitrary code due to a buffer overflow is not vulnerable because it is easy to use, but because it is poorly written

      OK, I'll agree with this one. So, out of the 4 points you raised, 3 can be dismissed as evidence of your own ignorance, and 1 is so obvious as to be barely worth stating.

    29. Re:It's an old argument by HSpirit · · Score: 2, Informative

      so I guess I'll also have to script some gadget talking to messenger to keep them happy.
      Very easy to do, all you need to do is install smbclient and the samba codepages on your *nix server, and then use smbclient's -m switch.

      I have an OpenBSD gateway on a dial-up connection serving my small office network, and I use this solution to inform the users when the dialup connection goes down/up.

      Saves me many calls of the type: "Hey, is the internet down?!"

    30. Re:It's an old argument by rduke15 · · Score: 1

      I know, that's what I currently do for the caller-id and name lookup stuff.

      The messages are easy to send. The question is (as usual) the content, and the recipient.

      Send all incoming emails to some script which parses it to find the recipient (not always in To: or even Cc:), finding the corresponding user account (not necessarily the same as the address),etc.

      Nothing difficult, but a bit too much work I will probably do to please the users, while feeling it is just a useless gadget.

    31. Re:It's an old argument by drinkypoo · · Score: 1
      Moving a file or folder from one directory to another on linux will break things, too. MacOS also has this problem of course but it is mitigated by the (now) .app packages and (previously) by the forked file format where everything is included in the executable. On the other hand, since the executable modifies its own resources, you just have that many more chances for viral infection and it makes antivirus protection that much harder.

      You're right about the annoyance of the registry, but I don't arrive at all the same conclusions you do. The registry has permissions, so it's perfectly reasonable to store all types of data in it. The problem with the registry is that A> it is a flat file, and B> there are no good user tools for manipulating it. There should for example be a dumb tool which lets you copy out stuff in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software or wtfever that tree is (I never have trouble finding it, but then I've done it a zillion times.) Actually what would be far better would be filesystem emulation of the registry so that keys showed up as directories and dwords etc as files. This way, you could just use backup software on portions of the registry.

      Also, however, the registry should be stored in some real database (On Longhorn, maybe they'll stick it in MYSQL/MSDE) with a local cache. The cache can be used at boot time, before SQL has started up. This will make the registry faster, easier to back up in an enterprise context (no running M$Backup to make an ERD and back up the registry) and in general less of a pain in the ass.

      Applications are supposed to store settings in the registry, or user-specific settings in your profile under Application Data. That's not the problem, the problem is the lack of tools for dealing with the registry. regedit and regedt32 are insufficient, alone or together.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    32. Re:It's an old argument by TheCrazyFinn · · Score: 1

      Or, ironically, Windows Server 2003, which has no network services running by default either.

      Ironic that an MS product is more secure out of the box than RH Linux.

      --
      "You've got an invalid haircut" -Warren Zevon - Life'll Kill Ya
    33. Re:It's an old argument by TheCrazyFinn · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Two things I'd love to see MS steal from Apple:

      Application Bundles. Ths means that the only dynamic libraries going into the System directories are actually part of the core OS. All an applications dynamic libraries are contained in the bundle. It's a bit wasteful space-wise, but HDD space is cheap. And it solves much of the problem of Users needing to install their own software, but needing to be Admin to do so. This is much like installing software in your home directory as an unpriviledged user in other unixes. .plist files. XML-based preference and config files. Replace the damned Registry with these. For user prefs, drop them in a hidden directory in the users home directory, which also means that they are easily backed up, transfered and migrate to all OS's when the home directory is shared. And it also means that installing apps just drop their system-wide plists in a common directory, and the system maintains a third directory for system services plists. Much more robust than the Registry (which was a nice idea, but has never worked reliably for workstations or desktops). It also means that in a pinch, an admin can edit the damned plist with a text editor, or just trash it to repair/reset b0rked software.

      --
      "You've got an invalid haircut" -Warren Zevon - Life'll Kill Ya
    34. Re:It's an old argument by TheCrazyFinn · · Score: 1

      Actually NTFS got journalling with NTFS 5, in 2000, about the same time Linux did (With JFS and XFS).

      And NTFS is older than a decade, since it's an evolution of HPFS.

      --
      "You've got an invalid haircut" -Warren Zevon - Life'll Kill Ya
    35. Re:It's an old argument by Dylan+Zimmerman · · Score: 3, Insightful

      NTFS has a good permission system? That's news to me. As an administrator, I created a folder that denyed other users the ability to do anything with or to it. I set every single permission to "deny", especially the "Take Ownership" permission. I then logged in as a Limited account, navigated to the folder, right-clicked it, went to "Security", it told me that I wasn't allowed to view or change the security settings and that I couldn't take ownership. I then clicked on the "Advanced" button, went to the "Ownership" tab, and gave myself ownership. I then closed the two open dialogs, right-clicked again, added myself to the permissions, and gave myself full control over the folder.

      In UNIX, I could set the permissions to 750 and not have to worry about it anymore.

      Now, I like the link idea. Having the same file in multiple locations on your directory tree can be very useful. Also, the metadata and data streams are nice. However, NTFS doesn't have "strong security permissions" by any stretch of the imagination.

      I have to edit the registry all the time. Programs like to set themselves up to autorun by putting themselves in HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/Run. Most of these are programs that I don't like such as Microsoft Messenger. I go into the Microsoft Messenger preferences and uncheck "Run this program when Windows starts", but it doesn't remove the registry entry.

    36. Re:It's an old argument by Narcissus · · Score: 1

      Yeah, except for the fact that Windows Server 2003 has IE installed, right? "Ironic" that an MS product that is running no network services by default is still not as secure as a RedHat Linux box, whilever you're using a browser...

    37. Re:It's an old argument by TheCrazyFinn · · Score: 1

      Except it's so locked down that you can't visit any non-local pages.

      You have to turn on access to any non-local pages (And it bitches at you if you do)

      --
      "You've got an invalid haircut" -Warren Zevon - Life'll Kill Ya
    38. Re:It's an old argument by cptgrudge · · Score: 1
      As a game developer, and an out-of-work one at that, Windows does need to be reinstalled every 6 months or so... If the constant flow of test games doesn't get you, the constant flow of uninstallers will. Rolling back to restore points is useful, but A: it doesn't always work and B: it doesn't address the cumulative damage of accrued extensions.

      Give me a break. If you're doing software testing you should be doing it on a virtual machine like VMWare, not a machine where the state keeps changing because of software uninstalls. That's just sloppy. A copy of VMWare workstation isn't going to break anyone. And if you *really* need to have a real machine, use Ghost to image it and bring it back to a clean state. The cost of either these programs will pay off in the future since you'll be saving time by not reinstalling Windows all the time.

      --
      Qualitas edurus commercium, nullus penitus net rimor, nullus deus beneficium
    39. Re:It's an old argument by Dwonis · · Score: 1
      Ironic that an MS product is more secure out of the box than RH Linux.

      That's a "straw man" argument. Red Hat Linux is not exactly the most well-designed distro out there.

    40. Re:It's an old argument by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, and if you ever recompile your kernal you're doing something wrong...

      reg hacking is _not_ something you should do lightly, however, if faced with a 5 minute reg hack to fix a users problem, or a complete re-install, it's a reg hack all the way.

      A good comparison to reg hacking is opening your case. Most users should not do it unless they have a pretty clear idea of what they are doing. Speaking as someone who can surface mount solder, and has done in the past to fix video cards and mobos gone wrong, I do consider it a solution, but it's not one I'd ever reccomend to anyone else.

    41. Re:It's an old argument by sahala · · Score: 1
      there are real, physical (derived from natural laws) conflicts between ease and security.

      Again, this is incorrect. It's difficult to have both an acceptable level of security and ease of use, but not impossible. Throwing around rules like this doesn't make it any easier for both user interface and security infrastructure developers to do their job.

    42. Re:It's an old argument by prockcore · · Score: 1

      Uh, you mean Red Hat Linux, where every service and it's 3rd cousin is running?

      I see you haven't used Red Hat since the 6.x versions

      Red Hat has installed a firewall, blocking every port by default since version 7.

    43. Re:It's an old argument by prockcore · · Score: 1

      All an applications dynamic libraries are contained in the bundle. It's a bit wasteful space-wise, but HDD space is cheap.

      I can't stand that arguement. It's that mindset that is responsible for the bloat in software today.

      It takes more than an hour (yes, more than an hour) to *install* Star Wars: KOTOR.

      Disk space may be cheap, but spending an hour waiting for a game to finish installing is insane.

    44. Re:It's an old argument by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't play many games, but I can tell you how cool application bundles are. Adobe Photoshop on the Mac is one file. It does have a bit of detritus, but that one file/bundle is all that's needed to run the program. Most Mac software is installed by copying one file from the disk (or disk image) to /Applications. One file. You're done. You don't need an installer for most userland applications, only for drivers, etc.

    45. Re:It's an old argument by RzUpAnmsCwrds · · Score: 1

      "First of all by "file system," I had meant the organizational file heiarchy in Windows, the portion that the OS sees. You can still break all of the links to a program by, for example, re-naming a folder. Many programs fail to work if installed on something other than the C: drive... Many of these are Microsoft's programs. "

      I can tell you that most programs respond fine to having "Program Files" on my RAID partition. Those which don't (a rarity) are caught by the symlink.

      With NTFS, shortcuts automatically update themselves when you move a file. Try it sometime.

      "(though the fact that Windows XP doesn't support 160 GB drives out of the box is pretty shameful)"

      It does. More likely is that your ATA controller doesn't have supported LBA-48 drivers.

      "Actually, some programs treat registry settings like they were a preferences dialog. Zone Alarm, for example, like thousands of other pieces of software has an annoying splash screen that appears every time your computer boots, and the only place the preference exists is in the registry."

      Programs are *supposed* to use the registry. HKEY_LOCAL_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Run is the key, if I remember correctly.

      "It's just a bad idea to keep your copy restriction authentication and your preferences in the same structure, but that's exactly what Microsoft designed."

      That is bullshit. By the same measure, Linux is worse off because it also keeps files in its directory structure. The registry is just a virtual filesystem.

      "As a game developer, and an out-of-work one at that, Windows does need to be reinstalled every 6 months or so... If the constant flow of test games doesn't get you, the constant flow of uninstallers will."

      So, you run a constant stream of uninstallers and installers on your system, many of them beta quality, which may damage your system. It's no surprise that you think that Windows needs to be reinstalled every 6 months. Most users will *never* reinstall Windows. They probably don't even have their original media.

      "As an addition to your suggestions, the user needs to check what icons are in the bottom-right hand corner of their screen, and shut off what isn't needed."

      Windows XP has msconfig. I recommend that *all* users use this tool to turn off user-mode startup programs. Also, you can set the key to deny write permissions with regedit - this keeps programs from putting themselves there.

    46. Re:It's an old argument by RzUpAnmsCwrds · · Score: 1

      Problem: Changed monitor, now get out-of-range sync
      Solution (Linux): Boot up in single user mode, use vi to hack XF86config file, restart server
      Solution (Windows): Not needed. When given a monitor with unknown sync, Windows automatically reverts to 800x600x60hz

      Problem: Sound card not supported
      Solution (Linux): Download, configure, and build ALSA. Modify rc scripts to load proper module.
      Solution (Windows): Install driver from NVIDIA website.

      See a patern here? Need I go on.

      "Windows XP" is not responsible for Outlook Express losing your password. OE may very well be crap. But OE isn't an underlying part of the OS.

      "Windows XP" is also likely not responsible for "Exact Globe 2000" not printing.

      Remember, buggy software can refuse to work on *any* OS. Even a theoretically perfect OS is not immune to programmer stupidity.

    47. Re:It's an old argument by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      (though the fact that Windows XP doesn't support 160 GB drives out of the box is pretty shameful)

      Um slipstreaming sp1 into the xp install cd enables full hd access. You also have to have the proper storage driver so you can see the full size of your hd. If not, then windows xp stops at I think 133 GB but when you install sp1 and the updated storage driver then it'll see the rest of the drive without losing your data you have on it already. Besides, if you did this with Mac OS X, you'd probably have to do the same thing.

    48. Re:It's an old argument by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > There should for example be a dumb tool which lets you copy out stuff in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software or wtfever that tree is (I never have trouble finding it, but then I've done it a zillion times.)

      1) Select key. 2) File menu | Export registry file... | Selected branch.

  4. In other words... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Apple adds nothing, changes nothing, fixes nothing...

    At the very least, it would be nice to have seen an update that automatically fixed this for the hundreds of thousands of users who are vulnerable and not reading random Apple tech notes.

    Even if the bad guy has to be on your subnet, a vulnerability is a vulnerability and it would've been nice to see this taken a little more seriously. I know plenty of people running WEPless Airport at home, and this could be the method of attack from the front yard...

    If nothing else, this seems like a potential method for a virus to be transmitted within a subnet from one trusted machine to another.

    So c'mon Apple... how 'bout a little more of a response?

    1. Re:In other words... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apple adds nothing, changes nothing, fixes nothing...

      Not true. They released a statement that spins this into a "feature" instead of a security exploit. Look on the bright side - at least it doesn't disable your older iPod, prevent your PC from booting, or erase your Mac's HD.

      Can you see the painstaking effort they put into the well crafted response? Sounds like they worked really hard on it every day for the past 45 or so days since they were notified. That's just far too little time to do anything more - at least for Apple. :)

    2. Re:In other words... by CottonEyedJoe · · Score: 4, Interesting

      WEP or not I think your wireless network would need to be much more complex that most to exploit this. At least on my Airport network (and probably by default) the wireless clients get their settings from the base station and the base station only. You can run and LDAP server all night and day in my front yard and it wont do you a bit of good. I'll probably ask you what youre doing when I mow the lawn though.

    3. Re:In other words... by Cysgod · · Score: 1

      Malicious user sits 2 miles away with laptop and WiFi card and a good antenna pointed at your house. Waits for DHCP requests to come across the network, sends responses, and if lucky, gets one your clients to recieve its response before your base station's. That's all there is to it.

      While I haven't tested this, I don't think that most base stations capture broadcast packets that look like DHCP requests and filter them out of the packet stream that they are sharing with the rest of the network. If this is the case, hurrah for the vendors that do this with their wireless AP's.

      Mac OS X cannot be configured to only accept DHCP responses from one specific server. If it did have this ability it would be another way to mitigate the risks of this vulnerability.

      Given the description you provide, your network can be had. Better to be safe than sorry and disable the settings that allow this vulnerability to exist.

    4. Re:In other words... by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      well it's not likely to be a problem at home..

      but mac notebooks are used regularly at public wlans as well(resteurants, hotels, some guys network that just happens to work from the bus station & etc)..

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    5. Re:In other words... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Malicious user sits 2 miles away with laptop and WiFi card and a good antenna pointed at your house. Waits for DHCP requests to come across the network, sends responses, and if lucky, gets one your clients to recieve its response before your base station's. That's all there is to it.

      Uh... yeah, best of luck with that plan. Do you really think a WiFi connection 2 miles away will stand any chance of responding with a spoofed DHCP response before the user's network does?

    6. Re:In other words... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then you can sue the Hotel for not securing their network. You and your lawyers will pick up a nice chuck of change.

      In fact, I think I'm going to start a class action against wi-fi points.

    7. Re:In other words... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Sure, just send fake DHCP requests until the basestation uses up it's IP address pool.

    8. Re:In other words... by Cysgod · · Score: 1

      The signal takes around 0.107ms to get there, so about 0.214ms round trip + processing time to handle the packet and send a response. I see roundtrip delays (ping) on the order of 0.4 ms on my switched network and 2.5 ms on my wireless network. I think the odds are above zero that you could beat the DHCP server to reply in this scenario, and so long as they are, there is an issue that needs to be dealt with.

      In the end, people are just making excuses about why the attack might be kind of hard to pull off. And I don't disagree, it is kind of hard to pull off generally speaking, and most people, they probably won't be attacked anyway. But just because most people don't get their cars stolen and their homes robbed doesn't mean we leave them unlocked.

      The goal for me is to help people protect themselves, so the risk that is there, however small it may be according to some, can be reduced to zero.

    9. Re:In other words... by raga · · Score: 1

      Malicious user sits 2 miles away with laptop and WiFi card and a good antenna pointed at your house.

      A good directional antenna (or an omni-directional + extra power) may ensure that the hacker's broadcast gets to your house. For your signals to reach the hacker at 2 miles, a clear line-of-sight and some intel-quality snooping device is required. Not to mention no neighbors using their microwave.

      Mac OS X cannot be configured to only accept DHCP responses from one specific server.

      For WiFi, you can set it to talk to a specific base station of your choosing.

      cheers- raga

    10. Re:In other words... by raga · · Score: 1

      In the end, people are just making excuses about why the attack might be kind of hard to pull off.

      To be even handed, you should also point out that all OSes that pick up routing info from a DHCP server, have a variant of this "hole". At the very least, a rogue server can act like a proxy and, examine and redirect your TCP packets anywhere.

      And even if you do configure Linux to go to a particular DHCP server, how long do you think it'll take to dos the real server and put up a ringer in it's place to spoof all the clients?

      This is not hard to pull of, especially when the exploit comes from within your subnet. Starting from scratch, folks with a good knowhow of DHCP, ifconfig, dos exploits, ip-spoofing, and TCP in general could have this setup and start expoiting any DHCP-reliant client in less than a day.

      cheers- raga

    11. Re:In other words... by uroshnor · · Score: 3, Informative

      If remote setup is spin, why is it in the documentation that was released for Panther when the OS was released ? See the server administration pdfs.

      This isn't a new "exploit" - all previous versions of MacOS X and NeXTStep had this with NetInfo by design - thats for nearly 15 years. However, it requires specific non-default configuration to work ( the network directory does not have precedence over the local directory by default - what is claimed in the original web page announcing the exploit is wrong )

      For this to work, someone with local access to the machine has to go and change the directory lookup order for authentication, so that the network directories override local.

      This is one of a long list of "exploits" that fall into the category of "If I have local administrator/root access and misconfigure something in a specific way, then I am potentially remotely exploitable" .

      The UI in MacOS should definately warn you if you tried to make the change, but this really isn't the sort of thing you'd work people day and night to fix.

    12. Re:In other words... by marcinjeske · · Score: 1

      But Mac notebooks rarely get restarted... maybe for major system upgrades... not something people will be doing in a coffee-shop, if at all.

      This exploit ONLY works at boot, and according to Apple, is even more unlikely over wireless due to the timing of when the Airport network is available vs. when the system tries to net config.

  5. Who will watch the watchers? by Crypto+Gnome · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Realistically, an issue trusting the LDAP server that your DHCP server points you at?

    What is the world coming to?

    Do I need to manually verify every single setting supplied to me by my DHCP server because I don't trust it?

    These days, the internet is not a safe place, we all need to be more than just a little paranoid - but are you paranoid enough?

    --
    Visit CryptoGnome in his home.
    1. Re:Who will watch the watchers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Its called AUTONOMOUS COMPUTING, every module verifies all its own data and does NOT trust external data at all.

    2. Re:Who will watch the watchers? by nehril · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Do I need to manually verify every single setting supplied to me by my DHCP server because I don't trust it?

      in a way, yes. an evil machine on your network may answer your dhcp request with, say, itself as your default route. wham, you have yourself a machine routing all your internet bound packets through itself, doing whatever it is evil people do (nice little man-in-the-middle eh?)

      it's back down to ease of use: dhcp, or have the network admin identify himself with DNA samples and personally configure each box on the network.

    3. Re:Who will watch the watchers? by BrookHarty · · Score: 1

      Spoofing DHCP is easy and handy to make sure you get the settings you want. A few times I unpluged a machine, plugged in a hub+laptop and gave the server settings I pre-configured, overiding the default DHCP servers. Microsoft/SUN and other vendors use configurable DHCP settings to pass information to Applications (proxy/etc). Even mobile networks can use DHCP to get its current settings. (gateway/msisdn/int-ext networks)

      Physical access is the number 1 security hole.

    4. Re:Who will watch the watchers? by Cysgod · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You trust the network (and DHCP) to tell you how to talk to the network. (IP address, netmask, gateway, DNS, etc.) And then you use things like SSL and SSH host keys to make sure you are really talking to who you think you are. You don't trust it with root access to your machine to do whatever it wants to.

      The argument I make in the "philosophical details" section of the advisory is that realistically you should not trust a network for user authentication information without at least *some* user interaction so the user is aware of what is going on. To do otherwise is irresponsible and puts end users at risk.

    5. Re:Who will watch the watchers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Still, i strongly disapprove the way you went about releasing your exploit.

      You should know damn well that the solution to this problem is far from being a simple patch to a piece of C code to plug a stupid buffer overflow vulnerability. People who expect, and, like you did, demand a solution to this problem within days or weeks, are people who blindly refuse to acknowledge the challenges surrounding the development of an appropriate and comprehensive solution. We are talking here about removing functionality from the DHCP protocol that had been taken for granted for years. Or significantly patching it to add a slew of warning dialog boxes, which are all usability enhancements. A short-term fix might need to be evaluated vs a longer-term fix. You don't develop this in days. it takes time.

      if you had any clue about processes surrounding software development, especially intricacies behind design and development of user interface updates, there is just no way in hell you would have published your advisory, much less with a working exploit. A December time frame would have been perfectly reasonable and you fucking know it.

      Now thanks to your dumbass move, chances are you've just cornered Apple into releasing an update that only solves problems partially.

      The Panther code base and user interface had been locked-down and tested way before your advisory. This would have required a major change in the code, delayed testing certification, and subsequently launch, for a security issue that is, after all, not even close to be remotely as bad as other issues found earlier. more on that later. Shortly after Apple had to address more urgent security issues in 10.2.8. You can't hold against them the fact that they didn't just "include this fix" with either 10.2.8 or Panther, why? Simple: AGAIN, the solution to this problem is NOT, and i fucking repeat NOT a simple code patch, unlike most security issues which usually revolve arround buffer-overflow security exploits.

      Why is this problem "not so bad after all"? Simple. While many people refer to it as a "remote exploit", i'd would like to strongly qualify this term and get people to understand that this exploit will not, absolutely NOT, allow just about anyone on the internet to "own your box". You can only get infected if you happen to plug your computer on a LOCAL AREA NETWORK with one or more "evil hosts", that could subsequently try to own you. But think, my friend, think hard: WHAT ARE THE FUCKING ODDS of this happening? Even if it does, it's not like some evil internet worm could sneak around and wreak havoc the whole internet. Each infection can only max out at hundreds of machines at a time, and always be localized to a fairly specific, restricted geographical location, and in most cases the source of the exploit could be located and terminated.

      The point i'm trying to make here is that YES, Apple did miss their original november release date but fairly promply gave you a new december release date. You should fucking know by now that the fix to this problem is not trivial and could have waited another 30 days from the day you released your advisory.

    6. Re:Who will watch the watchers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, they could have easily just picked a sensible default with no change in release date.

      However, now that it's out and they'v even advertised this foolishness as a feature, they can't just turn it off in a patch. They would need to code some new dialog or something which makes it equally "easy". Essentially, they're screwed.

    7. Re:Who will watch the watchers? by ernst_mulder · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It's pretty safe to assume your company's network, into which RJ45 socket you plug your network cable, is quite secure.

      One of the fine points of this exploit however is that some users may never know they are on an untrusted network. Why? Because they have a wireless network card installed and enabled.

      So when you boot your Mac with DHCP enabled could compromise your system when a "bad person" has setup a "bad wireless network" in the neighbourhood. No physical contact to your computer required.

      The only fact that makes this exploit less likely is that computers with wireless network cards are usually PowerBooks and tht PowerBooks are hardly never rebooted. From peronal experience I can say that the only times I rebooted by iBook was after system upgrade which are usually performed while connected to my company's network (not wireless).

      Ernst Mulder

    8. Re:Who will watch the watchers? by Dwonis · · Score: 1
      You can only get infected if you happen to plug your computer on a LOCAL AREA NETWORK with one or more "evil hosts", that could subsequently try to own you. But think, my friend, think hard: WHAT ARE THE FUCKING ODDS of this happening?

      Plug your Mac laptop into a public or semi-public network (like at a university, for example), and the odds skyrocket.

    9. Re:Who will watch the watchers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is a dumb, useless issue. And a waste of bandwidth.

  6. Finally... by Gothic_Walrus · · Score: 2, Funny
    I'm sick of hearing about Windows exploits!

    It's about damn time they found an explot for an Apple computer!

    --
    Goo goo g'joob.
    1. Re:Finally... by Jonny+Ringo · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yeah but there explanation seems like they are talking with you, and instead of at you.

      I feel like Steve Jobs just bought me a drink and explained the problem, then gave me a hug when it was time to go home.
      I'll miss him.

    2. Re:Finally... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then go to Bugtraq instead of Slashdot. You'll be pleased to find that Apple is among the best at generating bugs. Some erase entire hard drives, some disable booting...all sorts of innovative stuff. I'm sure MS will have to decide to copy this some day.

    3. Re:Finally... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      so where in san francisco do you live?
      i'm in cupertino....

    4. Re:Finally... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I love it when he shoots cum in my eyes or up my nose. It shows how much he cares.

  7. It's still an exploit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No matter what sort of spin Apple puts on it, it's still retarded of them to trust LDAP to the point that UID=0 is trusted to be root.

    Still, I don't think that this exploit is really that easy to take advantage of... the circumstances which would lead to it are fairly limited for now (until WiFi is as pervasive as air, anyway).

    1. Re:It's still an exploit by jimi1283 · · Score: 3, Informative
      Novell's directory service has this problem too. It does not have a "minimum uid" setting, so it will gladly accept a uid of 0...

      Which is why we don't use it at my company.

    2. Re:It's still an exploit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I think that it should not trust the LDAP server at all for any user information or anything even remotely system-critical unless explicitly told to.

      Even without being able to get root directly, if the machine has any trust in a hostile LDAP server, there are plenty of more subtle attacks that can be mounted.

      The worst thing Apple could do is to fix this by adjusting it so that the server is trusted for some things, but not others. When an obvious trust-issue like this comes up, plugging the known-exploitable holes is not sufficient, the underlying trust-issue is what needs to be resolved.

    3. Re:It's still an exploit by anthonyrcalgary · · Score: 1

      It's a "feature" to make life easy for people with big labs full of Apple computers, but I think home users substantially outnumber those.

      --
      When someone might yell at me, it has to be OpenBSD.
  8. Re:It's not a bug! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It really is a good thing to see they're not pulling an MS and they're actually calling it a bug.

  9. Yikes! by Quasar1999 · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is horrible... First the machine comes with a pre-configured backdoor/exploit, and they want to leave it like this? Second, if you can just plug in the machine in a network, and have it totally configure itself, you've just killed a job for an IT guy... and we need all the jobs we can get...

    Oh, wait... once the new machine gets owned by some script kiddies, then the IT guy gets called... okay... phew... nearly thought that a job was eliminated... nevermind... as you were... ;)

    --

    ---
    Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
  10. Re:Honestly.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Actually, the 1GHz FSB in the G5's can make for a pretty fast and powerful machine.

  11. New bugs, ease breaking havoc on your LAN by rduke15 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I wonder what new bug is waiting in their "automatic setup" to bite us.

    I was recently bit by their hijacking of the .local tld with their Rendezvous/mDNS crap.

    (and when you call their support to ask why the Mac cannot see the local mail server called x.y.local, they have no idea and tell you to go around asking in web forums!)

    So whatever they do and sell you as "making things easier", I would be very afraid to have it on my network.

    1. Re:New bugs, ease breaking havoc on your LAN by undef24 · · Score: 1

      i was wondering why my .local domain wasn't working. Thanks for pointing out why.

      So is there a workaround for this or what?

    2. Re:New bugs, ease breaking havoc on your LAN by rduke15 · · Score: 1

      So is there a workaround for this or what?

      Yes, they have a technote or something on the Apple site which mentions the fix: change your tld to something else!!

      In other words: "yeah, we took over your private tld because we liked it. And we don't give a shit about what you think. Anyway, it's good for you because our computers are easier to use"

      So after loosing hours trying to understand this weird problem you have to go changing your internal domain name.

      The weirdest part was that host would ask the dns server and resolve the name, but everything else would fail, including ping on the name.

      If you want to find the article, search apple.com for "rendezvous" and maybe "mdns" (multicast DNS).

      Other kludges to fix it floating in Mac forums seemed to imply a file in /etc/resolver/ or something.

    3. Re:New bugs, ease breaking havoc on your LAN by Spy+Hunter · · Score: 3, Informative

      mDNS isn't crap, it's cool, something like it been needed for a long time, and it's going through the IETF standards process. Apple's not "hijacking" anything. If you believe that using .local is a mistake, then you can bring up your concerns on the appropriate IETF working group. The IETF standardization process is completely open; anyone can join the mailing list and voice their concerns and get things changed. Look here for info on mDNS and the related IETF working groups you can join.

      --
      main(c,r){for(r=32;r;) printf(++c>31?c=!r--,"\n":c<r?" ":~c&r?" `":" #");}
    4. Re:New bugs, ease breaking havoc on your LAN by jacken · · Score: 1

      You could always check Apples Tech Note.

    5. Re:New bugs, ease breaking havoc on your LAN by anthonyrcalgary · · Score: 1

      It's actually possible to disable that... /etc/resolver/local

      go in and stick your nameserver in front of theirs, so it reads something like:

      nameserver 10.0.0.1
      port 53
      nameserver 224.0.0.251
      port 5353
      timeout 1

      I hate Apple quite a lot, but only because I know so much about them.

      --
      When someone might yell at me, it has to be OpenBSD.
    6. Re:New bugs, ease breaking havoc on your LAN by TheCrazyFinn · · Score: 1

      Except Apple's simply following the Zeroconf RFC, which specifies .local

      Bitch at MS for suggesting a non-standard .tld for private domains.

      --
      "You've got an invalid haircut" -Warren Zevon - Life'll Kill Ya
  12. Dear Apple: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dear Apple:

    I bought an Apple computer because of its native support for teledildonics. I bought a USB FUFME and MacOS immediately recognized it and installed drivers instantly! As a gay Catholic priest who often can't be at the altar all the time, you can understand how the ability to have sex with children whilst on the airplane with my Powerbook and wireless internet service is a lifesaver.

    I just have a single question, will Apple be releasing a firewire version of the FUFME anytime soon?


    With much gayness,

    Father Michael "Arminass" Sims

  13. Use what you know... by Rahga · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This problem is rather simple... Operating systems such as Windows and MacOS X (don't troll me with Darwin) are commonly developed inside corporate environments, and a direct connection to the internet rather than a firewalled lan is the exception, rather than the rule. When the pointy haired boss walks in and requests a machine than can set up itself when he plugs in to the network, it gets delivered.

    I expect retail software geared to the home user will continue to keep the tendancy of shipping flawed, because development often does not take place in a home environment. This goes for everything from Quake servers (remember ID's backdoor?) to all of the $40 photo-editing tools that are sold at Wal-Mart with marketing emphasis on the end user, with interfaces so all-encompasing, wizard-heavy, and dumbed-down that even I don't attempt to tech my low-tech friends how to use them.

    1. Re:Use what you know... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Windows may have lots of problems, but it doesn't have this one.

      You need to explicity add a Windows client to the "Domain" (directory server). That's only two clicks, not quite plug-n-root like Apple, but a basic step before granting remote Administrator access.

      The Windows client will also authenticate the server (as well as the server authenticating the client) -- I don't know if this is even possible with LDAP.

    2. Re:Use what you know... by tgibbs · · Score: 4, Insightful
      This problem is rather simple... Operating systems such as Windows and MacOS X (don't troll me with Darwin) are commonly developed inside corporate environments, and a direct connection to the internet rather than a firewalled lan is the exception, rather than the rule.
      Neither is it much concern to the typical home user who either connects directly to DSL or cable modem, or at worst uses his own short-range WiFi with some level of security. Currently, it is mainly a concern for traveling businessmen who take their WiFi equipped laptops to Starbucks or a convention center and connect from there. It will probably become more of an issue as such semi-public WiFi nodes become more common.
  14. It's not about the exploit... by danielrm26 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...it's about *how it's handled*.

    All software is, and will continue to be for the forseeable future, vulnerable. The question for the users and security people is, "How will company x handle themselves when a vunlerability is discovered in their product?"

    This question, and its answer, is the most important issue when deciding who you trust with your data.

    --
    dmiessler.com -- grep understanding knowledge
  15. Dear Father Sims by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dear Father Sims

    Thank you for your kind letter! Being a former Catholic priest myself, I know exactly what you are talking about! It has been our dream at Apple Computers ever since we began in the 80's to shape the homosexual experience with the ultimate computer.

    I can answer your letter by saying that YES we will indeed be making a firewire version of the FUFME. With the additional bandwidth offered by the firewire bus, we will be able to more accurately record and deliver more minute and subtle movements that the USB FUFME simply couldnt support due to lack of bandwidth. You will be able to recognize our firewire FUFME in stores by the fancy holographic logo of a cock entering an Apple.

    We are glad to help loyal customers such as yourself. If you ever have any more questions, feel free to drop a line (or connect to my teledildonic FUFME server on fufme://cockman.apple.com).

    Hugh G. Cockman
    President
    Homosexual Liaison Services
    Apple Computer, Inc.

  16. much ado about nothing by b17bmbr · · Score: 5, Interesting

    really, from apples docs, you have to have a malicious dhcp server on your subnet. of course, someone could bring a rogue box into work, but this isn't on par with ms exploits. wouldn't a simple mac address filter at the switch level take care of all this. yeah, you could instal dhcpd on your authorized client, but this should also be a fairly easy thing to detect. i think apple is right, it's a configuration level solution.

    --
    My problem? I was perfectly gruntled, until some numbnuts came by and dissed me.
    1. Re:much ado about nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      > you have to have a malicious dhcp server on your subnet.

      Keep in mind "your subnet" could be the WLAN at the coffee house (I must have seen 6 macs down there today - near the Castro in SF, in case anyone's interested), or a cable modem connection. This also means that if you can own one box on the network, you automatically get root on the all the others.

    2. Re:much ado about nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, it is. It was a problem microsoft already had to deal with, a mistake they already made. Companies can be like fuedal kingdoms. The lord of one of those fifedomes might well decide, unwisely, that the King's knights of network connectivity are silly irrelevant, and should be outsourced to pakistan. He might then decide to setup his own microcosim DHCP server and all, f'ing up who knows who or what. To that end, MS DHCP servers ask permission. As something of a cornerstone for a network they just ask that someone supposedly in the know signs off on them being there.

      One would think Apple would learn from the ginormous pain in the ass it was for some NT costumers.

    3. Re:much ado about nothing by iJed · · Score: 1

      From what I've read this "exploit" only happens on startup. So for most Mac users, who leave their PowerBooks in sleep mode, this has no effect whatsoever in a place like starbucks.

    4. Re:much ado about nothing by adrianbaugh · · Score: 1

      What if the machine "trusted" the first subnet it ever appeared on, and required confirmation to trust all subsequent subnets it discovers?
      That way it's almost certain to do the right thing when you unpack it at home (or work, whatever) and will be less vulnerable to being attacked in Starbucks. After all, surely no-one boots up for the first time in a coffee shop?

      --
      "'I pass the test,' she said. 'I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel.'"
      - JRR Tolkien.
    5. Re:much ado about nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      By all means, continue to have your root hole. But why let everybody on slashdot know you are vulnurable.

    6. Re:much ado about nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It'd dumb to "trust" any sort of TCP/IP network details -- that's why you use DHCP, because you don't care.

      The smart thing to do would be some sort of certificate exchange with the LDAP/NetInfo server, so the server itself is trusted.

    7. Re:much ado about nothing by shaitand · · Score: 1

      ok, so your thinking a switch which supports mac address filtering (start thinking several hundred bucks) is something the average joe is going to have in his home? Or that the average business with less than 50 users is likely to have?

    8. Re:much ado about nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I believe I have seen a couple of reports indicating that the DHCP LDAP or netinfo do not work of wireless, so you are down to a wired connection. Even if this did manage to work as an exploit, it would only give you one machine, not all of them, although theoretically you could acquire access to any that restart.

    9. Re:much ado about nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is this sarcasm? I can't quite tell.

    10. Re:much ado about nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Airport extreme base stations do it... I have installed 10 of them in different friends homes.

    11. Re:much ado about nothing by b17bmbr · · Score: 1

      since i have an ibook, to enter a new network, even if you use dhcp, you have to add it in the network preferences, and you have to tell it to use ldap, etc. most publc wifi's go like this: one, you have to get your mac address add to the database, two, you set it up to use dhcp (but do not configure any ldap, etc., since you're not authenticating against anything, and have no technical shared resources) then you get your IP address, and you go from there. besides, if this is the only os x exploit, then public wifi networks are a great advert for macs. (as if being the coolest dude in the coffee house with the mac laptop wasn't going to sell them!!)

      --
      My problem? I was perfectly gruntled, until some numbnuts came by and dissed me.
    12. Re:much ado about nothing by JK+Master-Slave · · Score: 1

      (as if being the coolest dude in the coffee house with the mac laptop wasn't going to sell them!!)

      You're being sarcastic, right?

    13. Re:much ado about nothing by b17bmbr · · Score: 1

      of course. like i'd hang out at a coffee house anyways. but actually, have you seen the sony ad for the vaio that has a bunch of people oggling over a laptop. there is a coolness factor to owning some things, and we pay for it. sure, my ipod is a great mp3 player, but it has a cool factor. it's like all those damn cell phones that do everything. and of course, being a 34 year old teacher, dad of two little kids, i really need to be cool.

      --
      My problem? I was perfectly gruntled, until some numbnuts came by and dissed me.
    14. Re:much ado about nothing by aldoman · · Score: 1

      Any old WiFi access point does this... my 40 origo 'cheapo' one can filter upto 50 MAC addresses.... I mean maybe not ethernet switches, but I can't really see someone going into your house and plugging a ethernet cable in and reeling it out of your house. Maybe this could happen in a corprate network, but they will have ethernet switches with mac address filtering. Anyway, why is it worth the bother of getting a hacked DHCP server, making a load of config files that work properly... when you can just use one of the thousands of windows exploits (I'm assuming corperate networks will have both Mac and PCs)...

    15. Re:much ado about nothing by prockcore · · Score: 1

      really, from apples docs, you have to have a malicious dhcp server on your subnet. of course, someone could bring a rogue box into work, but this isn't on par with ms exploits.

      That's what's so deceitful about apple's docs. They act as if a dhcp server is some special hardware. Any machine on the network can act as a dhcp server. Who's to say that another box isn't compromised, turned into a dhcp server, and used to gain access to the entire network?

  17. typical slashdot headline. by x736e65616b · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    calling this an exploit is downright foolish. -j

  18. shut up, Mac Zealot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Its an exploit by all means.

    Its like calling a bug a "feature"

    1. Re:shut up, Mac Zealot by falcon5768 · · Score: 0, Flamebait
      no jackass, its a exploit only if certain things happen, in this case, if you knew how OS X worked, it actually IS a product of its features (ability to have your computer be self aware of the network then set the settings on the fly after plugging in, ie no going through a windows like setup applet)

      In most windows cases its because code wasnt wiped or was left in that should have been taken out over the evolution (like windows messanger) here this was ACTUALLY coded to do this, which is why there is a gui window to unset the settings that isnt too hard to find, (just launch netsat and there you are) if you wanted to. Someone just found that if you put a rouge computer on the network and had the skills and knowhow to do it, you could hack in.

      IE YOU HAVE TO BE PRESENT AND ON SAID LAN TO HACK IT.

      And honestly I could think of MANY easier ways to hack a LAN than use this exploit if I can actually get physical access to the LAN.

      --

      "Slashdot, where telling the truth is overrated but lying is insightful."

    2. Re:shut up, Mac Zealot by scottking · · Score: 1

      name one?

      --
      scott king
    3. Re:shut up, Mac Zealot by JK+Master-Slave · · Score: 1

      ability to have your computer be self aware of the network then set the settings on the fly after plugging in, ie no going through a windows like setup applet

      Pinch me if I'm wrong. You're really trying to claim that having a DHCP client on by default is a 'Mac' thing and that having to manually configure the box is a 'Windows like setup applet'??

      Golly. I've got a Macintosh SE/30 here that I keep around because it's cool, and I have NetBSD on it. Should I wrap it in plastic? Will I catch a dose of stupid from it if I don't?

    4. Re:shut up, Mac Zealot by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "And honestly I could think of MANY easier ways to hack a LAN than use this exploit if I can actually get physical access to the LAN."

      Honestly I can't think of an easier way to own an OSX based Mac. Can you? If so please share. WiFI hotspots and university dorms seem real easy prey. In any case why is there any reason to trust your network with root to your machine? Ease of use is no excuse for lax security practises and the fact they took what two months to respond, gives me little faith in their ability or willingness to properly handle security. If MS had done this they would be roasted and rightly so.

      Yes I was looking at getting a new Power Book but the OS upgrade treadmill, poorly handled patches (iTunes installer ruining file system and ethernet problems after patching some Macs) and now this makes me wonder if this is the platform that I want to be on.

    5. Re:shut up, Mac Zealot by qyssd · · Score: 1

      agree!!

  19. WHAT THE FUCK are you GOING ON ABOUT?!?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ALSO: WAHT THE FUCK is a 'jefoerys tube'?!?!??!?

  20. Wireless attacks on local networks by Mundocani · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In many discussions, people downplay the importance of exploits like these because the attacker has to be on your local network to take advantage of the security hole. What about all of the mis-configured (or deliberately) open wi-fi networks out there? I think that wireless networking has changed the importance of "local exploits" by allowing somebody passing by to become a local entity on an open wi-fi network.

    1. Re:Wireless attacks on local networks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      I am not so sure that I buy the whole... wireless dhcp server being that huge.

      First, if someone can jack into my ethernet with a machine and place it on my same subnet... they deserve to h4x0r my boxen.

      Now... if they get on my wireless network, what are the chances that my wireless machine will leave an already established lease to jump ship and run to another dhcp server especially if my base station is also my wireless dhcp server. And lets not forget the whole problem of "ssh" is not on by default. If it is on then obvsiouly we are not dealing with a simple novice and any open wireless network, misconfigurations, and lack of knowing when someone reboots your machine to take it over... is partly their own fault. Out of the box, you are safe.

      Sure, this is an exloit, but it requires physical action as opposed to a few keystrokes or automated script. It is the same thing with the floppy or cd trick for linux. If you keep the power button, floppy or cd-rom exposed your just as vulnerable to getting rooted.

    2. Re:Wireless attacks on local networks by Cysgod · · Score: 1

      ...if they get on my wireless network, what are the chances that my wireless machine will leave an already established lease to jump ship

      The chances are that if you read the original advisory the main vulnerability identified required a reboot. At reboot, your Mac will associate with the first DHCP server it hears from. This may or may not be a malicious one. The chances are, of course, not 100%, but they are above zero, and thus something for people to know about, so they can protect themselves.

      And lets not forget the whole problem of "ssh" is not on by default. ... Out of the box, you are safe.

      BZZT! Out of the box you are vulnerable. A malicious person can use the mount maps to mount files into your filesystem in places that guarantee execution as root. Then you are running sshd, even if you thought you weren't. This also, is covered in the advisory.

    3. Re:Wireless attacks on local networks by Mundocani · · Score: 1

      I agree that the risk is small, but it's there none-the-less. My point is mainly that people tend to downplay local exploits without recognizing that wireless networking is changing the meaning of local. It sort of reminds me of how people (myself included) used to dismiss stack overflow exploits as unlikely due to the difficulty of engineering one.

    4. Re:Wireless attacks on local networks by prockcore · · Score: 1

      people downplay the importance of exploits like these because the attacker has to be on your local network to take advantage of the security hole

      I sure don't trust other departments in this building either. I don't trust the sales people. They're all jerkoffs. Does anyone here really trust every one of their co-workers? What about that guy Bob down the hall who just got fired?

  21. Re:Its easy!!. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    You can't realign Jeffries tubes. Fool. :-)
    I just know some trekkie is gonna prove me wrong.

    "Well that didn't stop them from doing it in episode number blah blah blah...."

  22. The Real Problem by Doc+Squidly · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Problems such as this show that any computer can be insecure. It's not just an Apple or M$ issue. Every system has weaknesses (even a *nix box) and the only why the guard against them is through vigilance and education. Learning of the exploits and fixing them. In my opinion the more knowledgeable the user (or Admin for networks) the more secure the system. 'Nuff said. Now we can get back to the usual M$ vs. Apple pissing contest that we all love.

    --
    I think I think, therefore I think I am.
  23. Re:Honestly.. by dasdrewid · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I was moderating, but this just burns me too much to remain silent.

    I am not an artist. I'm bad at music, too. But I'm not much of a programmer, either. However, I know two people who are good examples.

    First is my father. He has a doctorate in E.E., focusing on bottlenecks in computer systems, programmed assembly for TI in the 70s, and has been a professor in E.E. since long before I was born. He only uses Macs. We have one machine in the house that is not a Mac, this one, running Slack 7. He used Macs back in the "old days" for research because, for the money, they were the fastest things he could get his hands on. Now he uses them for work and at home because a) he's used to them and b) they are the best compromise between usability (he can still go into the terminal and screw around, but he can also use the very nice GUI when he doens't feel like typing everything or he's in a meeting with the Dean or the President of the university) and security/stability (it doesn't crash everyday and it has yet to get a virus). I use them for the same reason. And because I can't afford a computer of my own so I use what we have.

    The other person is my music teacher. He's a professional musician as well. He's backed up Lionel Ritchie in concert before and plays bass in his own band. He also does some composing. On a Mac, only. He uses Macs because, back when he started, the best if not only composing software was for Macs. Since then, he's been sorta stuck with them. Not that he'd change, though, as my school has given him a PC and he hasn't found a program that works as well on it as his program for Mac (I wish I could remember the name, but alas, I can't. It's one of the major 2, though, I remember). Yes, he has been a "struggling musician" before. And yes, he stuck with his Mac through it because his Mac worked. Well.

    Those are a couple of reasons why us "fruits" become blind zealots. It's sort of like being a Darwinian Evolution zealot. We get attacked by ignorant nay-sayers all the time, but we never lose sight of what we know works. Tell me, why are you such an ignorant bigot? Maybe you should get out of the house more...

    --
    No trespassing. Violators will be shot. Survivors will be shot again.
  24. No worse than DHCP itself by clasher · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This problem seems little worse than other problems related to DHCP. If someone had access to your subnet and was able to configure a rogue DHCP server (e.g. to exploit the OS X ldap bug) they could just as easily return a rogue proxy as the default gateway or a tainted DNS server. If you are not vigilant about SSH warning messages or best practices you could be connecting to a server which is just recording your password and passing it along to the real server.

    There may be something I missing, but this does not seem to be a problem with Mac OS X as much as it is with DHCP. DHCP in its simplest form is not secure. Using DHCP on a subnet requires trust. As with any other kind of security you will have to trust something, whether it is your computer or your home network.

    I hope people do not blow this bug out of proportion too much.

    1. Re:No worse than DHCP itself by kwj8fty1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Sure, someone can feed you bogus dhcp info, and they could then man-in-the-middle you.

      That fine, but THIS hole (and it is a hole, not a bloody feature, IMHO), grants anyone on your subnet r00t access on your MAC.

      This is a different attack completely.

      AFAIK, no other OS offers root access to any little kiddy acting like a dhcp server.

    2. Re:No worse than DHCP itself by jcr · · Score: 5, Informative

      THIS hole (and it is a hole, not a bloody feature, IMHO), grants anyone on your subnet r00t access on your MAC.

      Not exactly. They'd still need either 1) physical access to your machine to log in, or 2) for you to have turned on incoming ssh access (the default configuration doesn't allow remote login.)

      So, this is a problem if someone's able to get to your subnet and set up a rogue LDAP server, *and* you've turned on a service that isn't on by default. It's not a way for j.random script kiddie in Oklahoma to own you.

      -jcr

      --
      The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
    3. Re:No worse than DHCP itself by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      From the advisory:

      Is my machine safe if I have all remote access services "turned off"?

      No. This exploit allows malicious people full control of where things are mounting on your system. They can mount malware anywhere. Including places that can virtually guarantee executiong of their target code. For example, an attacker could cause their evil data to be mounted as a crontab and have their fake root's crontab point to an evil executable mounted somewhere else.
    4. Re:No worse than DHCP itself by shaitand · · Score: 1

      ok, now I'll be the first to admit, DHCP is not generally the most secure thing in the world. But are you honestly saying you fail to see how a vulnerability which basically turns DHCP into a user friendly rootkit which by default gives full root access to every file and service on every machine which recieves a lease is a tad bit more serious than redirecting users to a barney sucks webpage when they try to go to google?

      DHCP is not secure, it was never intended to be a secure or trusted mechanism. That's part of why things like ssl and ssh exist. Nobody really has to trust dhcp when being used in it's intended fashion.

      The problem with Mac OS X is that it's completely trusting that service which is known not to be secure and was never intended to be secure, by default, with complete root access to your server... and by the way, they didn't bother to tell you about it.

    5. Re:No worse than DHCP itself by mgbastard · · Score: 2
      That fine, but THIS hole (and it is a hole, not a bloody feature, IMHO), grants anyone on your subnet r00t access on your MAC.

      IF you are running with DHCP.

      And if you are on a network doing this? Trap out any unauthorized DHCP servers on your switches. You probably are already doing this to prevent headaches from people plugging in private 802.11 devices and screwing things up. Or you could just have an explicit allow list of MAC's (the standard accepted meaning of MAC, not your CaPsEd Mac.) Both are a standard network security measure.

      I don't believe any home user should need to worry about this - broadband users using dhcp to get on the internet are likely to have unauthorized dhcp responses being filtered out already. That sort of activity would cause a lot of unnecessary support calls!

      --
      Anyone seen my low uid? last seen 10 years ago while panning the #@$# out of Taco's 'web based discussion system'
    6. Re:No worse than DHCP itself by Arker · · Score: 1

      Look, if I can physically compromise your network and slip in a trojan server, I can almost certainly root any machine you've got in the same time anyway.

      And don't talk about wireless without RTFA, Airport is not affected.

      --
      =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
      Friends don't let friends enable ecmascript.
    7. Re:No worse than DHCP itself by raga · · Score: 1

      So, how many times does the word "evil" appear in his advisory?

      cheers- raga

    8. Re:No worse than DHCP itself by burns210 · · Score: 1

      and again, the 'who cares' part of the problem is: how are they going to use that root access when ssh and other services are OFF by default?

    9. Re:No worse than DHCP itself by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How many times do you morons need to be told that using this exploit, you can TURN SSH ON?

    10. Re:No worse than DHCP itself by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It doesn't really matter -- the Macinistas are still going to ignore him and moderate incorrect arguments about why they are really not vulnerable up to 5.

  25. As Scotty once said..... by leereyno · · Score: 2


    The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.

    --
    Muslim community leaders warn of backlash from tomorrow morning's terrorist attack.
  26. Speaking of Apple bugs... by iamdrscience · · Score: 5, Interesting

    A friend of my brother's recently found this one in OSX: Link to his blog entry about it

    Not SO bad, but could be bad, and it's considerably more dangerous for known Unix nerds.

    1. Re:Speaking of Apple bugs... by Aliencow · · Score: 2, Informative

      I just tested it on panther and at least 2 or 3 chars of the password get passed on to a window behind...

    2. Re:Speaking of Apple bugs... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If someone gets to your physical machine and wants to own it... they can.

      Oh... and I couldn't reproduce this on 10.2.8

    3. Re:Speaking of Apple bugs... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well yeah, that's why this isn't a huge security flaw, because it could only be used locally.

    4. Re:Speaking of Apple bugs... by xenoandroid · · Score: 1

      This is a panther exploit that's been discovered for a while (i think even the same week panther was released). The "quick fix" don't leave sensitive stuff open (at least make it inactive by clicking on the desktop) when you lock your screen (active or let the screen saver activate). If you're really paranoid, activate fast user switching (if not already active) and switch to the login screen.

      Though there's no excuse if this bug is still present in 10.3.2

    5. Re:Speaking of Apple bugs... by Permission+Denied · · Score: 1
      If someone gets to your physical machine and wants to own it... they can.

      I don't think that's the real problem. If I leave my laptop unattended, I fully expect it to get "owned", literally and figuratively.

      I sometimes do presentations with my powerbook (not powerpoint, thank you very much, but software demonstrations). I type very fast and can type most of my password in the time interval it takes to fade out the screensaver. If I had to wake my laptop from a screensaver in front of an audience - that would be bad.

      I'm the soul-less who despises frills such as screensavers, so it doesn't affect me, but it's still a nasty hole.

    6. Re:Speaking of Apple bugs... by marcinjeske · · Score: 1

      Uhhh... the simple solution is:

      Don't type your password while "flurries" bounce around your screen (or whatever screensaver variant you use).

      You should never type your password unless you are staring at an OS-provided password field or prompt.

  27. Re:Yikes! Who configures after connecting ethernet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I don't mind this at all.
    No professional I know connects a server to the network BEFORE they configure security and network settings.

    Shame on you if you do :-)

  28. Home vs. Work by LauraW · · Score: 4, Insightful
    I expect retail software geared to the home user will continue to keep the tendancy of shipping flawed, because development often does not take place in a home environment.

    In this case, the software is actually more vulnerable in a work environment, because it requires a compromised DHCP server on the local subnet. Most home users would probably notice if you plugged in another computer in their house. It's less likely to be noticed in a corporate environment, at least for long enough to compromise a few servers.

    Besides, if it's possible for someone to sneak a compromised DHCP server on your network, you're basically screwed anyway.

    1. Re:Home vs. Work by Rahga · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Besides, if it's possible for someone to sneak a compromised DHCP server on your network, you're basically screwed anyway.

      The janitors in my bank building could probably do this on multiple networks on multiple floors with ease. Heck, just drop a decently modded dreamcast under a secretary's desk or anywhere you can find a ethernet drop and weak switching.

    2. Re:Home vs. Work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Damn you must have some smart janitors if they are bright enough to mod a dreamcast.

    3. Re:Home vs. Work by wolrahnaes · · Score: 5, Informative

      Besides, if it's possible for someone to sneak a compromised DHCP server on your network, you're basically screwed anyway.

      I have mod points, but I had to respond.

      This is so true. Many organizations beyond a few (10-20 or so) computers do not have good physical security. Anyone can easily place a rogue node on a network and wreak havoc.

      This happened recently at my school. Someone setup a DHCP server that responded faster than the school's Netware systems could. This seemed to be accidental because the configuration was all over the place, and didn't work at all. The techs have been investigating this for a few weeks and I'm not sure if they have found it yet.

      While my above example didn't cause any harm, imagine if someone was to setup a DHCP system and also took advantage of IE's "autodetect proxy settings" feature. They could be almost undetectable, yet be able to log all Internet traffic by redirecting the proxy and default gateway through their box.

      --
      I used to get high on life, but I developed a tolerance. Now I need something stronger.
    4. Re:Home vs. Work by arkanes · · Score: 1
      There's a Starbucks every block or half a block in NYC. In almost all of those Starbucks, theres at least a couple people using laptops with the wireless access. Go into one of those with a properly configured laptop and sit and wait...

      As for noticing - I wouldn't notice someone sitting outside my house and hooking onto my wireless network. I rarely pull up the DHCP clients list on my wireless access point. I imagine it's the same for most people. I rarely pull up network browsers, too - I just go to the machine I want.

    5. Re:Home vs. Work by cscx · · Score: 2, Funny

      Hell yeah, my boy is wicked smahht!

    6. Re:Home vs. Work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Don't assume that people always do things because they have to. Some people do things because they choose to. I had a working manager that was a supervisor in a chem. dept. He worked there simply for the excercise. He figured it was better to make money than to pay it to a gym. We had others that were students, Navy personnel that wanted to make some easy money on the side. Some of the janitors you meet may be smarter than you.

    7. Re:Home vs. Work by YetAnotherDave · · Score: 1

      >> The techs have been investigating this for a few weeks and I'm not sure if they have found it yet.

      to get the drop (assuming areasonably intelligent switch):

      (on dhcp client)
      ping [IP of dhcp server] (to ensure arp entry is active)
      arp -a [IP of dhcp server] (to get mac address)

      (on switch - this is cisco catalyst syntax, but any managed switch should have this feature)
      show cam [mac addr of dhcp server] (to get port on switch)

      a few weeks? should be a few minutes with a 1/2 decent network config...

    8. Re:Home vs. Work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This problem is rather simple... Operating systems such as Windows and MacOS X (don't troll me with Darwin) are commonly developed inside corporate environments, and a direct connection to the internet rather than a firewalled lan is the exception, rather than the rule.

      You have no idea what you are talking about. Have you ever worked at Apple or Microsoft? They are merely trying to add value to their products. Configuring computers to access LDAP servers _is_ a pain in the ass, and I am glad they are searching for ways to make it easier. So they made a mistake and there was a security hole in part of thier implementation. Would you be suprised if I told you that the DHCP client and LDAP frameworks are now and have been open source since day 1 for Mac OS X? Why didn't you find it earlier? It was out there in source afterall...

    9. Re:Home vs. Work by devnullify · · Score: 1

      You're forgetting that the cable drops would need to be documented :P

      Of course, they could just unplug the cable from the switch...but perhaps there are dozens of switches to check..but even so, you're right. It should have taken no more than a few hours at most to disconnect the machine. Finding it is another matter, I helped with some cabling in a fairly small business in the area. They didn't have any documentation on the network whatsoever, and I presume that this isn't entirely uncommon, especially where things are constantly changing (and generally at a slow rate) and often installed by relatively uneducated people, such as in a college or high school.

    10. Re:Home vs. Work by anthonyrcalgary · · Score: 1

      I dunno about anyone else, but my ISP's DHCP server is shit slow, making it possible for a malicious server to respond faster. OS X machines on cable modem networks aren't exactly rare.

      --
      When someone might yell at me, it has to be OpenBSD.
    11. Re:Home vs. Work by wolrahnaes · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately it's not that simple. The cabling is a rat's nest, and this is a high school, so we don't exactly have the best switches.

      The other problem is that it is intermittent. It only shows up every few hours, usually for a half hour or so.

      --
      I used to get high on life, but I developed a tolerance. Now I need something stronger.
    12. Re:Home vs. Work by YetAnotherDave · · Score: 1

      >>and often installed by relatively uneducated people, such as in a college or high school.

      y'know, there's some irony there... :)

    13. Re:Home vs. Work by hawaiian717 · · Score: 1
      One home environment in this does bug me. That is the machine plugged directly into the cable/DSL modem, with no NAT. In that case, a rouge DHCP server could be installed by somebody else in their own home, also directly connected to the cable/DSL, and could then infect the other users on their subnet.

      However, I do suspect that most users who would do this haven't enabled remote logins either.

      --
      End of Line.
  29. Beware goats.cx link... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I warned you...

    1. Re:Beware goats.cx link... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      what is this goats.cx link?

      I dont see it in the parent.. just a link to the article about a backdoor

  30. Re:What's this? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You're new to the "Cult of Mac," aren't you?

  31. Won't prove you wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But WILL correct your spelling. Jefferies tubes. Looking at a trek encyclopedia right now.

    1. Re:Won't prove you wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...and masturbating feverishly.

  32. Mod Parent Up by Jesrad · · Score: 1

    I just tested it. It is real.

    --
    Maybe we deserve this world ?
    1. Re:Mod Parent Up by MikeXpop · · Score: 1

      What OS are you running? I and someone else (who commented on his blog) couldn't get the exploit to show itself.

      --
      Etiquette is etiquette. He kills his mother but he can't wear grey trousers.
    2. Re:Mod Parent Up by Jesrad · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Jaguar (10.2.8)

      The keystrokes are transmitted to the front application behind the screen saver only if you are fast. They get transmitted during the load time of the prompt window and during the activation time of the screen saver (between the moment it is started and the moment it starts drawing).

      --
      Maybe we deserve this world ?
  33. Server configuration through DHCP by Twid · · Score: 0


    The server configuration feature is similar, but it isn't directly related to the DHCP security issue. The server configuration is specifically for cluster-type configurations where you want a server to boot up with a basic configuration automatically. You can also load the configuration from a file via a USB keychain or even an iPod. It's just a small XML file with all the configuration info.

    Theoretically a hacker could exploit this as a "security" hole, but they would need to set up a local LDAP server to give out the configuration, and they would need to reboot the Xserves. They could just as easily go up to the Xserve and reload the OS from CD.

    --
    - "When you want something with all your heart, the entire universe conspires to give it to you" -Paulo Coelho
  34. Well well well.... by JFMulder · · Score: 1, Insightful

    .... turns out, if someone had RTFM, nobody would be talking about this.

  35. Re:Honestly.. by TheBillGates · · Score: 5, Funny

    You fool, have you even tried using a Mac lately? No? Just what I thought.

    I'm a tech support (24+ years) who will have nothing but Macs in my house. Why? Because they work, don't crash, and my wife and son can't fuck them up.

    After spending all day fixing other people's computer problems, the last thing I want to do at home is fix my own.

    I'll stick with Macs.

  36. Re:It's not a bug! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Umm, no they are not. They are calling it a "default configuration"

  37. Re:YATBLIHEE. YUOAIR. GGALIOSUTYFT-W. Fuck off. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    you have no shitting clue what they mean, Mac Luser

  38. Oh... by MiniChaz · · Score: 5, Funny

    This sounds related to a great new feature in Mac OS X Server 10.3/Xserve called "automatic setup" that -- for machines that come with it preinstalled -- will get their address and LDAP server via DHCP and look for configuration files, and automatically configure the entire server, without any interaction beyond plugging it into the network and turning it on.

    Slashdotter A: "Are we being sarcastic?"

    Slashdotter B: "I can't even tell anymore."

  39. What's with the endless zealot crap... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    from the dictionary --

    One who is zealous; one who engages warmly in any cause, and pursues his object with earnestness and ardor.

    Doesn't sound so bad to me. Are you a Linux zealot? A Windows zealot? Does having a strong opinion make you a zealot? Or are you opinionless.

    You are the lemming. Spewing the same tired crap about 'Mac zealots'.

    Shut up, Anti-Mac zealot.

    1. Re:What's with the endless zealot crap... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, "engages warmly" is code for burns alive all who disagree.

  40. Baggy pants by adrianbaugh · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Tihs is a public service announcement.Adrian has incredibly baggy pants. Really - they're like tents!

    --
    "'I pass the test,' she said. 'I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel.'"
    - JRR Tolkien.
    1. Re:Baggy pants by adrianbaugh · · Score: 1

      Dammit, I leave my screen unattended for a couple of minutes and get baggy pantsed. :-) It's the first time (and I hope the last) - though while the moderation is fair enough it could just as easily have been +1, funny if the moderators knew their jargon file...

      --
      "'I pass the test,' she said. 'I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel.'"
      - JRR Tolkien.
  41. What's the difference? by penguin7of9 · · Score: 3, Informative

    This isn't so much of a root vulnerability as a default configuration that trusts the integrity of the local network services.

    That is a root vulnerability. You could perhaps trust LANs 20 years ago, you absolutely cannot trust them today, and any vendor that ships software that, by default, trusts the LAN is shipping software with severe security problems.

    1. Re:What's the difference? by burns210 · · Score: 1

      ok, i may be missing something, so if i am, please correct me... but, even if you connect to a malicous LAN, that gives you a evil dhcp server that tries to exploit this thing, how are they gonna do anything? ssh is off by default, so they can't login...

      again, maybe i am missing something.

    2. Re:What's the difference? by Espen · · Score: 1

      AFAIK even most Linux distributors trust the LAN implicitly by accepting DHCP servers values for IP, gateways and DNS when you first set them up.

    3. Re:What's the difference? by smcv · · Score: 1

      An attacker using this exploit can run arbitrary code. They can control your mount table, and mount a malicious NFS or SMB share over some directory whose contents get run a lot (for instance, they could replace your crontab with one that downloads and runs an evil executable of their choice, or replace /lib to contain a modified copy of libc that does evil things whenever you start a new executable).

      Of course, the attacker is intent on getting shell access, they could always use one of the above techniques to start sshd.

    4. Re:What's the difference? by smcv · · Score: 1

      That only affects non-secure protocols. Admittedly, most Linux distributions helpfully do a net-install over unsecure http through a possibly untrusted gateway, which *is* a potential hole (imagine a gateway that transparently rewrote http requests to replace, say, RPMs or Debian packages with trojanned ones). As far as I know, both Red Hat and Debian are working on signed package infrastructures to counteract this problem, but neither is really there yet.

      If you always use authenticated protocols with man-in-the-middle attack prevention via pre-shared host keys (SSH, IPSec, SSL, or downloading PGP-signed files with a known key), getting routed through a compromised gateway is acceptable; assuming the owner of the gateway can't break the encryption on your protocol of choice, the worst case is that you just lose connectivity.

      If I start using untrusted networks a lot, I intend to upgrade my web hosting account to have ssh access, for this reason.

  42. I DONT KNOW WHAT THEY MEAN ???? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Grow up you twelve year old...I knew what those tired acronyms meant when you were begging your parents for lunch money...

    YOU HAVE BEEN TROLLED -- YOU HAVE LOST -- HAVE A NICE DAY -- FUCK OFF AND DIE you loser...

    P.S. I DO own a Mac. I AM more sucessful than you'll ever be thanks to it. I NEVER crow about either of those facts except when some snot-nosed slashdot/linux wanabee tries to make something of it. Go back to pretending that you have some stake in Linux and that you are fighting some sort of 'good fight' -- bottom line is, I know you are a fake, you know you are a fake -- no one who actually contributes to something as marvelous as Linux/open-source would be as rude/crass/intolerant as you -- I know you haven't been around these parts as long as I have, and you now know that YOU HAVE LOST...NEEEEEEEEEXT

    1. Re:I DONT KNOW WHAT THEY MEAN ???? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thats not even a good troll. More successful thanks to a mac? Only at the Homo-erotic fair.

      It makes me happy when some Mac-zealot gets mad. It means I win, and they lose.

    2. Re:I DONT KNOW WHAT THEY MEAN ???? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Leave him alone. I guess you could consider yourself successful if you find a sugardaddy that buys you a Mac. It all depends on your goals in life.

      And it isn't "paying for it" if you enjoy the activity too.

    3. Re:I DONT KNOW WHAT THEY MEAN ???? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know all you assholes seem to be the people getting angry. Fuck off? What balls you have. Another pussy trying to act tough...who is the poser. I've never used a MAC but I can tell you blah, blah, blah. Arrogant Asshole. Another exploit in the Mac OS...see we told you. Nothings perfect "NO SHIT" thanks for pointing out the obvious. It's the amount of imperfections that denotes the quality of a product. Comparing the imperfections in the MAC OS to those in the Windows OS is like comparing a snowball to an avalanche. Since we are being childish...go pound salt up your ass.

  43. Re:Yikes! Who configures after connecting ethernet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Then professionals wouldn't mind manually typing in the LDAP server address, which means this entire feature is worthless.

  44. No, that's not so bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny


    Hmm, as long as they don't have to right-click anything, I guess they should be able to handle it.

    1. Re:No, that's not so bad by Squozen · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I work tech support, and if I had a dollar for every Windows owner that didn't understand the difference between right and left-clicking I could buy Slashdot and every AC posting to it.

    2. Re:No, that's not so bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amen, brother.

    3. Re:No, that's not so bad by StingRay02 · · Score: 1

      The fun ones to trouble shoot, though, are those that need to be taught how to double-click. A rarer breed of computer user to be sure, but one that provides much more frivolity.

    4. Re:No, that's not so bad by Ohreally_factor · · Score: 1

      I just gave my father an emac (early Xmas gift), and I praise the Jobs above for including a one button mouse. This is my dad's first computer; right clicking and left clicking would be beyond him.

      However, he has quickly become proficient at double clicking, dragging and click and hold. He's doing pretty well for a 75 year old technophobe.

      --
      It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.
    5. Re:No, that's not so bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Cool story! :)

    6. Re:No, that's not so bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


      I work tech support, and if I had a dollar for every Windows owner that didn't understand the difference between right and left-clicking I could buy Slashdot and every AC posting to it.

      No, sir, when I say "move the mouse over the My Computer icon", I do not mean put the mouse on the computer screen.

  45. Two workarounds, both annoying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    1. Don't use .local for your subdomain
    2. Disable Rendezvous' broadcast-based resolver by hacking on the stuff in /etc/named/ (which effectively disables a large chunk of Rendezvous)

  46. Services on by default? by satyap · · Score: 1, Troll

    This doesn't sound much different from MS's way of leaving most services turned on and wide open by default.

  47. Apple's public image by spacehymns · · Score: 1

    It seems like Apple's public image prevents them from publishing more information about possible exploits. If it doesn't fit with the image of "easy-to-use!", they leave it up to someone else to publicize. It's a great idea to have automatically-configured machines, but these things need to be well-known. As is so often the case, education is the most important part of the equation.

  48. security and convenience by frogsarefriendly · · Score: 1

    Security and convenience do not mix. Apple is basically saying that their OS will continue to be insecure by default so users can enjoy convenience. PC's have a similar vulnerability, well ones that try to netboot by default. A rogue PXE server could feed a backdoored kernel to netbooting clients that mounts and runs the default root partition. Users, unless they pay attention to what their PC just booted off of, won't know anything is wrong. Netbooting is another convenience issue, who can argue with media-less booting!

  49. Re:Yikes! Who configures after connecting ethernet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ecept these boxes are not for professionals.

  50. Re:Honestly.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Spoken like a true Macinista. "Don't bother me with facts, I have my faith to guide me!"

  51. Re:Honestly.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nothing like using a computer no one wants to use to stop people feking it up.

  52. I concur by Fished · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Before anyone says "macinista", I've been using computers all day every day for 25 years now (since i was eight or so), and was a commodore man if you must know. I only got my first mac about two years ago. However, I will no longer have anything but a mac in my house because MacOS X based macs do everything I need - including a high quality X server - and never, ever, break. I'm a Solaris admin all day for a very large company. I don't want to hassle with munged computers at home. I prefer to farm.

    --
    "He who would learn astronomy, and other recondite arts, let him go elsewhere. " -- John Calvin, commenting on Genesis 1
    1. Re:I concur by Jordi+Bunster · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I've been saying the same. I am a programmer, and I also have to work with UNIX boxen. I also love the peace of mind of using a UNIX machine at home at not having to spend all weekends configuring something here or there. But ... I've had enough annoyances from Mac OS X so as to think about considering moving back to the free unices when the next upgrade do OS X comes. You know, Finder crashes, one aqua (or quartz I guess) lockup. Very rare, mind you, but I'm spoiled, I used to run Debian, the stable branch. Anyway, Panther just came out, so I guess I have some more time to take that decision. For the meantime, I try to only use applications and hardware that will not lock me in severely on the platform. I needed a substitute for Gnucash, I bought one that is written in Java, for example. Things like that.

      --
      Jordi Bunster http://bunster.org/contact/
    2. Re:I concur by Arker · · Score: 1

      and was a commodore man if you must know.

      I first programmed a simple little gizmo with a few lights and switches my older cousin had whipped up in his dads workshop. Then he got a Trash80 and I used it. First computer I owned myself was a Timex-Sinclair.

      I only got my first mac about two years ago.

      Same here.

      However, I will no longer have anything but a mac in my house

      OK, I won't go that far. I've got a windows (98lite) box for games, and a headless linux box, and they both have their functions. Fact is, actually, if I didn't have to have a couple of proprietary packages on here for work, I'd seriously consider reformatting my Mac and sticking Debian on it.

      But I think the point is just that Macs are really a nice choice to have, and sometimes the best ones, and people that can't grok that fact and go around calling people that do 'zealots' should look in the mirror.

      --
      =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
      Friends don't let friends enable ecmascript.
    3. Re:I concur by bussdriver · · Score: 1

      There goes my moderation status for this one...

      I also agree. I have done 6 years tech support for windows/mac/BSD and before that I did it for everyone I knew for about 10 years.

      I am VERY sick of tech support, and I quite frankly don't understand how you people can stand all the stupid people! I'm going back to coding before I go nuts!

      I push only macs because I AM SICK OF DOING SUPPORT!!! Its fun to go into darwin and play with some stuff, but only ON MY TERMS.

      I'm going 2 get a linux box some day, but not until I miss doing tech support....

  53. Re:Yikes! Who configures after connecting ethernet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Anyone who manages to get a directory server on their network better be a professional.

  54. UPnP anyone? by Qrlx · · Score: 1

    -- will get their address and LDAP server via DHCP and look for configuration files, and automatically configure the entire server, without any interaction beyond plugging it into the network and turning it on.

    Reminds me of a user who left the Windows 2000 Professional CD-ROM in his CD-ROM drive, booted from it, and reinstalled Windows. Though, he did have to "answer a few questions" (i.e. Press R to reinstall Windows).

    I'd say it's one more nail in Microsoft's coffin. Apple once again comes through with a sleek and efficient design. The process to accidentally reinstall the OS is completely automated!

  55. Re:THESE ARE TEH FACTS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Wow, you are an idiot.

    The next time you feel the need to post such stupidity, check your facts.

  56. speaking of default insecure issues by mabu · · Score: 1

    I was browsing a local windows network I set up the other day and saw a shared folder that was NOT previously made shareable. It seems one of the new Windows patches re-enables the "shared documents" folder on the network, and in explorer it's misleading because it doesn't use the standard "hand-looking" shared folder icon. I am really sick of this intentional and misleading crap by Microsoft! Apple should set a higher standard in this area by making sure everything is straightforward and on high security by default.

  57. Re:Honestly.. by tech53 · · Score: 1

    You Idiot! What does your MUSIC teacher or composing software have to do with security? Go read insecure.org or something then come back and tell me that....heck just get a smidgen of intelligence and tell me that. I haven't run a mac in a while so can't say much but this looks to be a pretty dumb thing to not publicize and in doing so has drawn some dumb people.

  58. Google by garymm · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Unless I'm mistaken, I read that Google uses a similar autoconfiguration for servers. They buy the server, plug it in, turn it on, and the rest is all automatic. I'm pretty sure they use a Linux distro, but it'd be cool for big institutions if OS X could have this functionality.

    1. Re:Google by Jacer · · Score: 1

      I know Google uses Linux. Just to give you some confirmation.

      --
      --fetch daddy's blue fright wig, i must be handsome when i release my rage
  59. OMG, I just found a Win9x exploit by libra-dragon · · Score: 0, Troll
    At the login window, if you press ESC you can gain full access to the system!! No username/password needed.

    Sorry to release this 'sploit "into the wild" without warning Microsoft, but I figured it was important to warn Win9x system admins ASAP. I also thought that Microsoft has had plenty of time to find/fix this major flaw --it is 2003...

  60. Apple is making a huge mistake by theolein · · Score: 2, Interesting

    In light of the recent Debian break in, where the core servers were rooted and a rootkit installed on other machines, and all this using ldap for user authentification, I think Apple is making a huge mistake. All it needs is a couple of apple machines to be rooted by an exploit based on this and Apple will be in the same sorry boat that MS is in.

    (And for the zealots, I'm posting this from a G4 PB so STFU thanks.)

    1. Re:Apple is making a huge mistake by burns210 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      so why the hell are you running a mission critical server via dhcp? give it a static address to negate even the possibility of the exploit you are talking about here.

    2. Re:Apple is making a huge mistake by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is like comparing a light rain to an flood.

  61. Not Just Apple! by linuxislandsucks · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Ah ahem, several storage servers like Snap and etc also come with this 'feature'..

    and those run Linux...

    --
    Don't Tread on OpenSource
  62. Re:Honestly.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Those are a couple of reasons why us "fruits" become blind zealots. It's sort of like being a Darwinian Evolution zealot. We get attacked by ignorant nay-sayers all the time, but we never lose sight of what we know works.

    It is NOT like being an evolutionist. Evolutionists have theory, logic and experimentation to back them up. Apple zealots have anecdotes, half-truths and pretty colored machines (quality though they may be).

    Too, creationists are blind idiots, while Windows users are normal people.

  63. zerg by Lord+Omlette · · Score: 1, Insightful
    This isn't so much of a root vulnerability as a default configuration that trusts the integrity of the local network services.
    If Microsoft ever said this, we'd be laughing at them. Rightfully so. WTF.
    --
    [o]_O
    1. Re:zerg by burns210 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      because, unlike MS, apple has turned off services that aren't needed, by default.

      Who cares that an exploit can create a new user, if ssh and remote login is turned off anyway? The Answer: well, not many people. this is somewhat of a bug/potential hole, that should be fixed, but NOT panicked about.

    2. Re:zerg by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who cares that an exploit can create a new user, if ssh and remote login is turned off anyway? The Answer: well, not many people. this is somewhat of a bug/potential hole, that should be fixed, but NOT panicked about.

      Oh... jesus. Don't comment on things you don't understand. Even I - not a security expert - realize that this code makes it possible for somebody to MOUNT something over NFS with root permission. If I were a hacker I would mount the crontab for root, and - ping - I've just enabled my own version of sshd (running from the NFS mount of course, so I know the password).

      Most of us learned this a long time ago: There is no such thing as an unimportant security hole. If there is a way theoretical way to exploit it, it will be done, no matter how complicated it is. Ten minutes later there will be a rootkit so any stupid 10-year-old can do it without understanding. Unless you are truly ANAL about security, you're not taking it seriously (as Microsoft are experiencing right now...)

  64. Uh, Was that post a joke? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It seems to me you proved his point.

    Your father used macs when they were good. Kept on using them when they weren't good because he didn't investigate anythign else ( can anyone say blind Zelot?

    The artist uses a mac ... hmmm, Hasn't found anything that works well on a PC. Um maybe whe hasn't looked in the past ... 10 years.
    You see the reason everyone calls mac users stupid is that they always assert that macs are always better. Even when they obviously aren't. So nobody believes them when they are faster. PC's change on such a quicker timescale that anything that is better on a mac is only better for a couple of months before it gets trumped. And it stays worse for another 3 years befo9re Apple comes out with some thing new.

  65. David Spade just called. He wants his joke back. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Or at least fair compensation, for gods' sake!!!

  66. A solution... by igomaniac · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Since this is an autoconfiguration feature, why not have it on only for the first boot after installing the OS? This way the computer can autoconfigure and then when it is configured it turns the feature off again.

    --

    The interactive way to Go -- http://www.playgo.to/iwtg/en/
    1. Re:A solution... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought that too, but that negates my ability to image a machine and send it into the world to be autoconfigured. Or what if some shmuck turns it on to make sure it works, then sets it up. Since he expects it to do its thing and it now won't he's screwed.

      I think one way to go is to have a physical switch the denotes a preference for the machine to be a trusting client or standalone machine. Then the autoconfiguration iwll not be done by default, but can be done easily without ever having to power on the machine or connect peripherals.

      Another way to go is to detect if there is a keyboard and monitor. If one (or both) are missing, then it's a network box and should act like that unless someone has configured it to be otherwise. By default, trust the network if there are no physical access devices. Laptops would have to be explicitly configured to trust the network if you wanted them to do that, as they would always have keyboard and monitor.

      But yeah, it seems that this "feature" has been left a bit more open than it should be, and could be cleaned up without destroying the functionality.

      -theed

  67. Oh give it a rest by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The messenger service is used by many orginazations for alerts. Where I work, our servers use it to send alerts to those that manage them. Works well since, unlike e-mail, it will get immediate attention. A web browser that is able to execute scripts is much more complex and therefore venurable than one that just doens't execute code at all.

    Get off it, when you provide services to the world, you open yourself to the poiibility of getting hacked. Look at Linux. Consider the holes in OpenSSH. Is it essential? No. Is it useful? Hell yes. When you run services that the whole world can get at, you run the risk that there is a flaw in the coding that someone exploits.

    Now, a valid solution to this is to have everything turned off and/or locked down by default. Ok, that works, but is a pain in the ass (read not easy to use) since you must then figure out how to enable everything and make it work. IF you have useful services enabled by default, it runs the risk they are venurable and can be exploited by default.

    By the way, if you have to reinstall Windows continually, you need to get some skills with Windows. To fuck it up that often and that bad indicate poor skills of the user.

    1. Re:Oh give it a rest by drinkypoo · · Score: 2, Flamebait

      By the way, if you have to reinstall Windows continually, you need to get some skills with Windows. To fuck it up that often and that bad indicate poor skills of the user.

      You asinine troll. Windows is quite simply broken. Want proof? If something is f*cked up on your Windows system, and you reboot it, it frequently fixes the problem. Try that with another operating system. A reboot shouldn't fix anything, it's a symptom of the operating system breaking itself.

      I've been using NT since 3.51, I've been using computers since I was four years old, and I have always had to periodically reinstall windows. Oh sure, I could fuck with it for weeks and figure out which program has done what strange and undocumented thing to my registry, or my DLLs in spite of the system restore, or some third stupid thing, but it's a lot faster and easier to simply do a repair install, and then reinstall service packs and patches.

      Now, I have had my XP system running without a reinstall for quite some time now, but things are not as simple as you imagine them to be. Windows is seriously flawed in just about every department except ease of use -- when it works. When everything is working fine I find Windows XP to be the most pleasant user desktop experience around, and yes I have run OS X. But when it's not working, Windows is worse than any other operating system than I have ever encountered short of MacOS 6 through 9, which are all now dead or dying. (If you're handy with a debugger, which you should not have to be to simply run some programs, you can figure out what's going on with older versions of MacOS. To me, it was not encouraging when Apple provided the debugger free, because you were going to need it.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:Oh give it a rest by torenth · · Score: 1

      I might be wrong, but I believe that the parent poster was
      referring to MSN messenger, (the AIM-like chat program)
      and not actually to the Windows Messenger service. So,
      no, it wasn't yet another person bashing the Messenger
      protocol.

      (sheesh, people are so sensitive)

      --
      'Phone-jacking: Give someone a ring, they'll have to answer to find out who it is!' - Threni
    3. Re:Oh give it a rest by prockcore · · Score: 1

      Where I work, our servers use it to send alerts to those that manage them. Works well since, unlike e-mail, it will get immediate attention.

      We have robots that send out messages using AIM.. much more effective since it can target people's phones as well.

      Our solution is better than yours, and it doesn't require opening ports on end users' PCs.

    4. Re:Oh give it a rest by wkcole · · Score: 1
      You asinine troll. Windows is quite simply broken. Want proof? If something is f*cked up on your Windows system, and you reboot it, it frequently fixes the problem. Try that with another operating system. A reboot shouldn't fix anything, it's a symptom of the operating system breaking itself.

      Ever seen a badly hung automount on Solaris?

      Not that you are wrong in that general sense: any OS should have the means to reinitialize nearly any subsystem into a 'pristine' state without bringing down the running kernel and reloading the whole thing, but in practice Windows is not the only system that fails to meet that ideal.

  68. Don't say it never happens by Sycraft-fu · · Score: 1

    We had to track down and have arrested a haxs0r that was spoofing our router in an attempt to capture passowrds. He could have also easily done this with a DHCP server (well, had he been intelligent enough to make his software work). When tou run a network that offers some kind of public access, and there are a great many, you run the risk of infiltration. Plus, do you trust ALL your employees?

    Security is not simple, and the balance between security and usability is even more complex.

  69. sandbox? by foniksonik · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I always wondered why there wasn't a sandbox approach to this automatic networking stuff... something to the tune of:

    Plug new PC in, a daemon listens/pings for DHCP, LDAP, whatever... and if it finds it, politely asks the user if he/she would like to enable the service. If you have admin privileges you get to authenticate and proceed to register with the service or if in an untrustworthy environment you can choose to leave them disabled. If a new server is found at any time the process is repeated... though you could set a preference to ignore new servers as well.

    See, sandbox. Requests are let in automatically but service must be opted into manually.

    --
    A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
    1. Re:sandbox? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I've always wonder about this myself. Best answer I could come up with was if it's a laptop you might then join a hostile network later and since you opt'd in you'd be owned.

      The solution of course is simply for the machine to remember networks and auto conf services that it's told are safe and prompt for any it doesn't know.

      I use DHCP because it's easy, but have always thought it was a pretty big hole waiting to happen.

  70. Re:Read the IETF documents before posting! by rduke15 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Before misleadingly filling your comment with "IETF", maybe you should read a few IETF documents and join their working groups yourself.

    I will gladly admit that mDNS doesn't have to be crap in itself, and may be cool, but Apple's proposed implementation is NOT going through the IETF standards process.

    And Apple IS hijacking the .local tld, and not only did the IETF never recommended that it be reserved for Apple's Rendezvous, but in fact, had "concerns about multicast storms resulting from site-wide mDNS usage, as well as concerns about cache pollution" (among others).

    What they eventually adopted in the standards track is LLMNR.

    LLMNR also doesn't require suddenly taking over a widely used tld.

    Also: "Rendezvous is an individual submission that is not a work item of any IETF working group, and is currently not an IETF standard. While it is possible for an individual submission to become an IETF standard, this is unlikely in this case because an existing WG (DNSEXT) is already working on a competing protocol (LLMNR), which has just completed DNSEXT WG last call."

    See the LLMNR FAQ.

  71. Re:Mac and DHCP?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I call FUD! First of all, DHCP is turned on as the default network setting. So, you plug in the cat-5, and it works. If you have changed the default setting, you can easily change it back by pressing the apple up to your left, and then selecting network-places (translated from swedish, so I don't know what they call it in english), and there's your network settings! Tada! and if you want to go all cool and do cli, that's an option too.

    We don't like people who fish by trolling!

  72. Re:Read the IETF documents before posting! by Spy+Hunter · · Score: 1
    Well, I guess I should have been subscribed to the DNSEXT mailing list instead of the Zeroconf one, as apparently that's where all the real discussion is taking place. LLMNR hasn't been mentioned on the Zeroconf mailing list ever since I signed up. Actually Zeroconf has been kind of dead. The DNSEXT guys need to do some marketing for LLMNR or something (and get a better name, geez).

    However, looking at the documents themselves (draft-ietf-dnsext-mdns-24.txt and draft-cheshire-dnsext-multicastdns.txt), it's not immediately obvious which one is farther along. They are both Internet-Drafts in the "standards track" category. I didn't realize that Microsoft's protocol was a work item of DNSEXT while Apple's was not.

    --
    main(c,r){for(r=32;r;) printf(++c>31?c=!r--,"\n":c<r?" ":~c&r?" `":" #");}
  73. Offtopic by nutshell42 · · Score: 1
    "Who can forget your President Clinton's immoral acts committed in the official Oval office?" Osama bin Laden, 10/24/02

    So Osama's not only against the American Way of Life, democracy, human rights and bikinis but also hates the Clintons? WOOT, Hillary for President! =)

    --
    Don't think of it as a flame---it's more like an argument that does 3d6 fire damage
    1. Re:Offtopic by Qrlx · · Score: 1

      Exactly, just like Ashcroft.

  74. Well, it's not the only security problem. by dodell · · Score: 1

    Apple's got a ways to go before they're really on the ball with security. I generally run their security update feature every day; I just got the patches for OpenSSL and zlib a week ago. Also, there's a bug filed in OpenDarwin that works in Jaguar and, I'm disappointed to see, also works in Panther.

    Run this as any user with an argument of any other user's username. Pay careful attention to the second field.

    #include
    #include

    int main(int argc, char **argv)
    {
    struct passwd *p;
    p = getpwnam(argv[1]);
    printf("%s:%s:%d:%d:%d:%d:%s:%s:%s:%s",p->pw_name, p->pw_passwd,p->pw_uid,
    p->pw_gid,p->pw_class,p->pw_change,p->pw_expire,p- >pw_gecos,p->pw_dir,
    p->pw_shell,p->pw_expire);
    }

    Don't bitch at me about publishing this. It's already available in the OpenDarwin bug list.

    1. Re:Well, it's not the only security problem. by dodell · · Score: 1

      Grr.

      The required header files are sys/types.h and pwd.h, respectively.

    2. Re:Well, it's not the only security problem. by argent · · Score: 1

      Oh, scary. You can read the *encrypted* password. OK, so it's only DES-encrypted, so if they have a weak password you can feed it through crack and get their password a little easier than if it was using MD5, but this is a pretty minor issue. I mean, there's systems shipping today where you can get the same info via "cat /etc/passwd", and NT broadcasts such one-way encrypted passwords over the net... IE can even be tricked into automatically delivering encrypted passwords over the Internet.

      Getting back to the original subject, leaving all those zero-configuration functions open in a computer once it's been set up the first time is a definite mistake, and I hope they back out of it and disable it all for manually configured systems, but it's only a local-LAN issue. I can see ways to exploit it for secondary attacks but it's not going to be usable for primary intrusion.

      There I'm more concerned about the way Safari opens FTP: URLs by mounting the remote directory into the file system... that's the same kind of convenience feature that's made Outlook such a menace this past seven or so years... luckily there isn't (yet) the same kind of browser/desktop integration that makes it possible to turn that into an automatic exploit but it's certainly handy if you're trying to set up a social engineering attack.

    3. Re:Well, it's not the only security problem. by spitzak · · Score: 1

      When I clicked on an ftp url, Safari launched IE to get it! That was very annoying. How did you get it to recognize ftp at all?

      However if it mounted the ftp site on the desktop, I don't think I would ever figure out what was going on, sounds like a stupid idea to me.

    4. Re:Well, it's not the only security problem. by argent · · Score: 2, Informative

      If it launched IE, it was recognising FTP but IE had over-ridden the default handler. You can use MisFox

      http://www.clauss-net.de/misfox/misfox.html

      or IC-switch

      http://flip.macrobyte.net/software/ic-switch_en

      to change these settings. I've taken to using Cyberduck for FTP.

      http://icu.unizh.ch/~dkocher/cyberduck/

    5. Re:Well, it's not the only security problem. by sammydog · · Score: 1

      Mac OS 10.1.x uses crypt passwords and these passwords are subject to being read by simple dump scripts

      Mac OS 10.2.x uses crypt passwords and these passwords are subject to being read by simple dump scripts

      Mac OS 10.3 creates new accounts with shadow password, these passwords are not subject to simple script download - only root processes can read the hashes.

      Legacy/existing user accounts created before 10.3 retain the crypt password.

      With 10.3 Simply resetting the password in System Preferences/Accounts migrates the password to the new shadowhash style (or for the CLI crowd you can use passwd).

      the maximum length of shadowhash passwords in Mac OS 10.3 is virtually unlimited (it's a hashed digest of the password string). However for pratical purposes the GUI and most command line tools have limits between 128-200 characters.

      10.3 with updated accounts or newly created accounts is no longer exposed to simple password dumping attacks, and supports more than 8 characters.

    6. Re:Well, it's not the only security problem. by argent · · Score: 1

      So they picked up the FreeBSD password code in 10.3, that's good. But this is a local exposure that requires a bad choice of password before you can use it in an exploit. My point is that it's a minor problem... there are bigger potential breakages we need to keep an eye on, like Apple's dodgy handling of FTP.

  75. 10.3.1 corrects it by Jesrad · · Score: 1

    The 10.3.1 patch corrects this flaw, but there is still no patch available for 10.2. This flaw was mentioned a month ago on various Mac websites, I should have done my homework.

    --
    Maybe we deserve this world ?
    1. Re:10.3.1 corrects it by ZackSchil · · Score: 1

      10.2.x was not affected by this bug.

    2. Re:10.3.1 corrects it by wkcole · · Score: 1

      No, it does not. I am still able to get the password past the screen saver/login window with 10.3.1

  76. What an exploit! It displays ******** by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    All those asterisks must imply that the user's password is a swear word which has been censored!

    1. Re:What an exploit! It displays ******** by dodell · · Score: 1

      What version are you using? It works in 10.3.1 and 10.2.8. For me.

    2. Re:What an exploit! It displays ******** by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      10.3.1, and all I could get is asterisks on any of the users.

    3. Re:What an exploit! It displays ******** by NoMoreNicksLeft · · Score: 1

      Hey. Email me if you get a chance.

  77. Do I Need Any Of Them On? by Goo.cc · · Score: 1

    When I ran the directory access utility, LDAPv3, NetInfo, Rendezvous, SLP, and SMB where all turned on. My question is, do I need any of them running? I am on a stand alone computer on a DHCP enabled cable modem.

    1. Re:Do I Need Any Of Them On? by RAMGarden · · Score: 2, Informative

      If that's the only computer on your network, turn it all off. Rendezvous is for other apples and SMB is for looking at windows file shares.

      --
      --- Nothing is secure.
  78. What is your point? by ErnstKompressor · · Score: 1

    The guy's anecdote is wrong? His father wasn't sucessful during those 'dark middle ages' when his Mac 'wasn't good'? His artist friend should arbitrarily change platforms to 'save' a couple hundred bucks(money lost after purchasing new software)?

    I don't want anyone to switch to Macs -- trust me. Apple will be around a long, long time. They do not need to be the most ubiquitous platform -- If I never bought another computer, I could be happy with my last Apple laptop and my present software collection for a few decades - if not forever. Sure I'll fall behind the 'gaming world' somewhere around 'Doom 6' but I never said I wouldn't buy a new console...

    --
    We apologise for the fault in this post. Those responsible have been sacked. -- Signed RICHARD M. NIXON
  79. Yes, more successful, as in WORKING FOR A LIVING.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I know this might be a newsflash for all you homophobic teen-geeks out there, but some of us actually WORK on our computers. There is this thing called a paycheck -- kinda like your 'allowance' only you don't get it handed to you from Daddy for having been shat out of your Mommy's box...

    And the size of that 'paycheck' while never a direct indicator of success, can be objectively used to infer the relative merit of the tools at hand. I use a Mac. I make money using a Mac. I am sure I could make money using Windows, but why? So I can play some games while I'm not working? I leave that to you guys in the dorms...

  80. FUCK YOU by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Go suck Bill Gates' cock you weasel-loving uncle fucker.

  81. Gee Mod, you totally missed the point... by libra-dragon · · Score: 1
    By saying that I'm a troll you're admitting the original article/exploit was a troll as well.

    Calling the autoconfig "feature" a root exploit is no different than calling the Win9x login one either.

    Here's another exploit you can ignorantly mod down: The telnet protocol is unencrypted!! The entire telnet session, including usernames and passwords can be sniffed.

    1. Re:Gee Mod, you totally missed the point... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      what sniffer tool do you use that cannot decrypt telnet packets? encrypted or unecrypted telnet is vulnerable to good sniffer tools.

    2. Re:Gee Mod, you totally missed the point... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The mods are total 'tards.

  82. Windows users are normal people... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    HA. That post should be moderated +10 Side-splittingly hilarious

  83. I'd take you more seriously... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    if you could spell. So much for 'educated opinions' from PC users. You make me laugh.

  84. shadow passwords by hayne · · Score: 2, Informative

    If you have a user account that was present in 10.2, it stays as it was in 10.2 - i.e. the password is world readable and limited to 8 significant characters. If you make a new account in 10.3 or even change the password of an existing account that was brought over from 10.2 to 10.3, then the new password handling will take effect: shadow passwords and a larger number (I don't recall how many) of significant characters.

  85. Important wrinkle by awtbfb · · Score: 2, Informative


    What is not fully documented is that if you have multiple network locations, you have to deselect this checkbox for each location. Fortunately, this is straightforward since there is a network location pull down menu right above the checkbox.

    Note that this means you can leave it checked for trusted networks but uncheck it for untrusted networks.

  86. Re:Arrogance by rduke15 · · Score: 1

    Bitch at MS for suggesting a non-standard .tld for private domains.

    I do like bitching at MS, but this is not a good occasion.

    Yes, I discovered yesterday that MS suggest .local for SBS. Why not? It's a perfectly natural choice for an internal domain. That's why I had choosen it many years ago, like many other netadmins. If MS does the same I have no objection. It is perfectly valid and doesn't break anything.

    There is nothing "non-standard" in using .local as a local tld and it is widely used.

    The way Apple uses it does break valid existng TCP/IP functionality.

    Apple's simply following the Zeroconf RFC, which specifies .local

    I can also write an RFC, not listen to the objections, and follow my own RFC whatever the consequences. It wouldn't make my RFC a valid Internet standard.

    This could have been just a little glitch in OS X. But the way they treated it, they appear to be just as arrogant as MS.

  87. Welcome to Windows excuses... by OhioJoe · · Score: 1

    ..for vulnerablities. "We're just trying to do it FOR you".

    Joe

    --
    "Artificial Intelligence usually beats real stupidity."
  88. At our school NetInfo and Ldap are already off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because of problems when switching locations.

    As noted in Apple's article 25442:

    This document discusses how to resolve an issue in which applications may sometimes take longer than expected to open (they "bounce" on the Dock for longer than expected) after changing locations or networks (including wireless networks).

    Solution

    Note: You should not use this solution if you rely on NetInfo services. If you are unsure, contact your network administrator.

    1. Open Directory Access (/Applications/Utilities).

    2. Authenticate if necessary.

    3. Deselect NetInfo.

    4. Click Apply.


    and if netinfo is causing problems, why not uncheck everything else you don't need, including LDAP.

  89. Re:THESE ARE TEH FACTS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    To be fair, all we had to do was ship them back. The Aficans did all the work. They sold each other into slavery. Now, they sell each other crack. Stupid then, stupid now.

  90. You have a better solution? by buchanmilne · · Score: 1

    The whole point of network account management is to easily allow the network administrators to have administrative rights on the machines on their network.

    Most any LDAP authentication setup on a unix system will allow a uid=0 user defined only in LDAP to log in (and essentially be root). That's the whole point.

    The problem that needs to be solved is making this both secure (preventing rogue DHCP/LDAP servers causing exploits) yet easy to set up.

    One possible solution would be to require TLS and SSL certs signed by a (manually-installed) CA cert.

    What was your proposal? /me wonders about Kerberos and DNS SRV records ...

  91. Re:It's an old arg [semi-OT personal opinion] by RNelson · · Score: 1
    Please, no...anything but an iMac. ;D Just got a PowerBook for myself, they're nice. How about a nice dual 2GHz G5? Bit out of your price range? G4s are cheaper? Anything* except an iMac.

    * Anything excludes most major Windows-based OEMs. :D

  92. Not quite. by danielsfca2 · · Score: 1

    I have to disagree with this particular statement. I attempted to install Photoshop by dragging the Photoshop.app just the other day and it complained copiously about missing/wrong-version stuff, and quit before it finished starting.

    As for your general point, yes, at least 90% of the apps on my machine are one .app. If I decide I hate something, I can just trash it and be done (Useful for MSIE). I save a lot of time not going to Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs 3x a day.

    It seems only the truly huge apps like PS, Dreamweaver, MS Office, need installers. A lot of apps, the official AIM client (I know, I know--suck) being one example, can be installed by dragging the executable, even though they're distributed with an installer. I know this because I keep that client stored in a DMG whenever I'm not using it due to its buggy, slow nature).

    1. Re:Not quite. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It seems only the truly huge apps like PS, Dreamweaver, MS Office, need installers

      MS Office does not need, or even have an installer. The install disc has an alias which tells you to drag the Office folder into your applications folder. Ironically, MS's Mac Business Unit takes as much advantage of the Mac advantage as perhaps any other developer.
  93. apple suggests not changing the defaults in help by michaelndn · · Score: 1

    About Directory Access

    Directory Access determines which directory services a Mac OS X computer uses and how it connects to specific directory domains. Directory Access determines how the computer discovers network services. Directory Access also defines search policies for finding authentication and contacts information in specific directory domains.

    For more information about directory services, network service discovery, and authentication and contacts search policies, click "Tell me more."

    Get the advice of a network administrator before changing Directory Access settings. If your computer is at home, you shouldn't need to change settings in Directory Access unless you are setting up a home network with a server.

    If you are a network administrator and want help changing settings in Directory Access, open Directory Access and choose Help > Directory Access Help.