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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.""

9 of 164 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Potential for rigging by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    That and the fact that linux isn't an OS.

  2. Re:What will be the GNU/Linux prize? by calebt3 · · Score: 2, Informative

    The complete list

  3. Re:TFA doesn't say by toadlife · · Score: 2, Informative

    For Linux, I need to train the user how to use chmod. Naw. Assuming it will be a functional equivalent of Windows and OS X, it should be running KDE, which means it will have support for archives (Ark) built into it. Just send 'em an archived shell script with the execute bit already set. Alternatively, you can send them your payload in some sort of package format, like RPM.
    --
    I don't always use unix-like operating systems; but when I do, I prefer FreeBSD.
  4. Re:"fair" would be "what users need" by hunterkll · · Score: 2, Informative

    OS X install by default has no network services running external and is firewalled. you have to manually turn on network sharing and services from a preference pane

  5. Re:What about Quicktime? by Crimson+Wing · · Score: 2, Informative

    Quicktime comes with Firefox these days
    Uh, BS? Every time I've installed Firefox so far, then gone to a page with an embedded QuickTime media file, Firefox has complained of needing an additional plugin. I install QuickTime itself, and then embedded QT files play just fine.
    --
    Sig? What's that? Oh, 'signature'...and it's supposed to be witty? Right...
  6. Re:Default Install by El+Lobo · · Score: 1, Informative

    Hmm..the default installation of IE in Vista is "sandboxed", so it will be **very hard** to install a program from it.

    --
    It's time to realise that Abble's products are the biggest abomination these days. Just say NO to the dumb iAbble way!!
  7. Re:Default Install by Calinous · · Score: 2, Informative

    Sure "OpenBSD has had one remote exploit in the default install in its history"

    Since you've heard, the number of OpenBSD remote exploit holes doubled

  8. Re:Lopsided... by mgblst · · Score: 2, Informative

    Rare? Diamonds are rare, yet I see them daily.


    Diamons aren't rare, only the stupid really believe this - why do you think diamonds are rare, because they are marketed to you as such. Diamonds are carefully controlled, so they a huge amount don't flood the market, but that doesn't make them rare.
  9. Re:Default Install by cheesewire · · Score: 2, Informative

    OSX comes with very little out of the box. New Macs usually come with iLife and some with iWork (or at least a trial) pre-installed - ie third party software. Mine even came with a 30 day trial of Office 2004. A stock installation of OSX doesn't include Quicktime or the like either.

    When you buy a mac, it comes with iLife and Quicktime. Both are made by Apple. Both are pretty fundamental to macs providing quite a lot of functionality out of the box.

    Even if you delete Quicktime.app, the quicktime framework is still there, it's needed by many things.