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Mac Hack Contest Redux

Posted by samzenpus on from the what-breaks-first dept.

narramissic writes "Remember the controversial Mac hacking contest from last year's CanSecWest conference? No? Here's a refresher: Conference organizers challenged attendees to hack into a Macintosh laptop, with the successful hacker winning the computer and a cash prize. Winner Dino Dai Zovi found a QuickTime bug that allowed him to run unauthorized software on the Mac once the computer's browser was directed to a specially crafted Web page. Well, the contest is back again this year, but with a twist, says Dragos Ruiu, the principal organizer of CanSecWest: 'We're thinking of having a contest where we have Vista and OS X and Linux ... and see which one goes first.""

19 of 164 comments (clear)

  1. Prediction by flaming+error · · Score: 2, Funny

    > the successful hacker winning the computer and a cash prize I'm betting somebody's taking home a Windows machine.

    1. Re:Prediction by Nerdfest · · Score: 4, Funny

      The outcome would be dependent on whether or not the Vista machine has already booted up. If not, attacking the other 2 gives you a decent head-start.

    2. Re:Prediction by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 5, Funny

      There is already a trojan available for vista, however noone is infected because its not finished copying over the network yet.

      --
      liqbase :: faster than paper
    3. Re:Prediction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Sorry that's my fault, let me turn my sound off.

    4. Re:Prediction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Looks like you're trying to turn Sound off. Cancel or allow?

  2. What will be the GNU/Linux prize? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The 386 it was installed on?

    1. Re:What will be the GNU/Linux prize? by Enoxice · · Score: 4, Funny

      The toaster it was installed on?

      Fixed.
      --
      Anyone else think the comments just weren't rendering right before they turned off ABP and saw ads?
  3. Begs The question by realthing02 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Before the sea of "vista sucks" comments, I'm going to ask this question:

    When vista inevitably goes first, who is going to want it? I assume it must be a good enough computer to actually run vista, so lets all take guesses at the OS loaded onto it after it's "pwnd".

  4. Wrong! by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 4, Funny

    The Vista computer won't get hacked because nobody will want to take it home!

    --
    Engineering is the art of compromise.
  5. TFA doesn't say by Cajun+Hell · · Score: 5, Funny

    Who is operating each machine? I need their email addresses. I want to send them some programs, and my "hack" is that the programs will come with instructions to the operator: please execute this attachment.

    My understanding is that for Windows, I just need to have the filename end with .exe. For MacOS, I need it to end with .dmg. For Linux, I need to train the user how to use chmod.

    --
    "Believe me!" -- Donald Trump
    1. Re:TFA doesn't say by Al_Lapalme · · Score: 2, Funny

      Hehehe... Copy to desktop; right click->properties - check 'executable' and then run.

      Can't wait to see those vacation pictures!!!

      Ahhh f*ck.

      --
      Al
  6. It doesn't beg any question... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...and you damn well know it. You guys are deliberately baiting the language nazis - there's no way you could *still* be ignorant of what this phrase means.

  7. Re:*BSD! by CapsaicinBoy · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ummm. OSX is just NeXTstep v5 (or 6 by now?), and NeXTstep is a flavor of BSD.

    Please turn in your geek card on the way out.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Unix_history.en.svg

  8. Re:how about a taste test by calebt3 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Click the 'x' in the top corner of the login screen. Oh wait...

  9. Re:What about Quicktime? by Grendel70 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Correct and informative post. Unfortunately your sig blew away any credibility you might have had.

    --
    Perhaps you mean a different thing than I do when you say "science."
  10. Re:Potential for rigging by KDR_11k · · Score: 2, Funny

    It might be more fun to see which OS annoys the user enough to launch the CPU across the room.

    I don't know about you but when I'm annoyed I don't have the patience to remove the case, CPU cooler and finally the damn chip itself just to throw it around.

    --
    Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  11. Re:Poor subnet by KDR_11k · · Score: 2, Funny

    At first I read that as "So many idiots who will just sit there with a hammer". Definitely the easiest way to crack a system...

    --
    Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
  12. On your marks, get set by KimmoV · · Score: 2, Funny

    I can just see this happening.. MC: Okay...the competition is ready to start... We have three computers, Vista, XP and Mac....crack it and it's yours.. Are you ready? On your marks, get set, g.......OKAY OKAY! Not funny...We have now XP and MAC available...the competition will start on my mark....On your marks, get set...go!!

    --
    This text has been written completely with recycled bits and bytes.
  13. Re:What about Quicktime? by glamb · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yes, I too have lost count of the number of times I have seen the Quicktime Firefox jump over the lazy dog