It's hard to believe that it's been (roughly) a year since the PWN2OWN contest last year in which a fully patched and updated Mac fell victim to Charlie Miller's hack attack in under 2 minutes. The contest was run again this year, and the pressure was on Miller to defend his title - and he didn't disappoint. In fact, this year he was able to hack the MacBook in under 10 seconds! Exploiting a flaw in Apple's Safari browser, Miller was able to take complete control of the laptop once a link on a website was clicked on the computer. Another participant was able to bring down a Sony laptop running Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8 (both still in beta) later that day. Both participants won a $5000 cash prize and the laptops they hacked. Read this article for more info.
So why do I continue to point out when Apple computers are hacked? Is it because I hate Apple and/or Macs? Not at all...in fact, I'm currently saving up to buy one of those awesome new 17" MacBook Pros that came out last month so I can do some iPhone development. No, the reason I post about these events is so that people will open their eyes to the lie that Macs are invulnerable, and thus superior to PCs. The MacBook that was hacked by Charlie Miller was completely up-to-date with all the latest patches from Apple, yet it still fell.
I'm writing so that current Mac owners, and those looking to make the move, will be sure to always keep their systems up-to-date AND continue to use caution when browsing the web. If you believe that your Mac is invulnerable, you may be more lax in your browsing habits and go around clicking on every link you see without considering the source. This is a very bad habit to fall into.
So, a word to the wise, always be certain that any links you click on are from a reputable source and that they point where you think they are pointing. If you are uncertain about them, DON'T CLICK ON THEM.
Stay safe out there....
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