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Charlie Miller: Macs lacking in security
The Apple Core —
... ’s Pwn2Own hacking competition shares his thoughts on OS security, Pwn2Own, and why Macs are lacking in security in an interview with Tom’s Hardware : In neither case did I get root/admin access. That would have required additional vulnerabilities. However, just running as the user is still very bad. I could have still watched keystrokes as you went to an online bank, read your calendar and address book, sent emails, etc. In real life, one or all of these things would have occurred. When asked if he had to make a recommendation, Mac, PC, or Linux? Miller responded: I’ll leave ...
Safari hacker talks security
Macworld —
... but if you’re looking to really dig deep into matters of security, you’ll want to check out this interview over at Tom’s Hardware with contest winner Charlie Miller. Miller—a former NSA employee—is the security researcher who exploited a bug in Safari within a matter of moments (for the second year in a row), but as he points out in the interview, this belies all the time he spent researching and testing in the months beforehand. It only looks Hollywood because you don’t see the hard work in the preparation. If you set me down in front of an application I’ve never seen ...
Pwn2Own contest winner: Macs are safer than Windows
AppleInsider —
... recommend Macs to typical users as a safer alternative to Windows PCs. Following both Pwn2Own contests, numerous sensationalist headlines played up the idea that a Mac had been "cracked in seconds," conspicuously neglecting to mention what Miller called "the many days doing research and writing the exploit before the day of the competition," enabling him to discover the bugs and develop a way to successfully exploit them on the first try at the event. Macs less secure, more safe In an interview with Tom's Hardware , Miller stated, "I'd say that Macs are less secure for the ...
Winning Pwn2Own Hacker: Macs Are Safer Than PCs [Fight Night]
Gizmodo —
Charlie Miller, the security expert whose meticulously crafted exploit took over a MacBook through Safari in 10 seconds at the Pwn2Own hacking competition, says that Macs are in fact safer than Windows. Oh boy. It's for reasons we've heard before—there's just way less stuff out there attacking Macs. He told Tom's Hardware: "I'd say that Macs are less secure for the reasons we've discussed here (lack of anti-exploitation technologies) but are more safe because there simply isn't much malware out there. For now, I'd ...
Pwn2Own winner says Macs are more safe, though less secure
Infinite Loop —
... that earned him cash and free MacBooks in the last two Pwn2Own contests, sat down with Tom's Hardware for a lengthy interview. He detailed several areas where Apple could improve security for both Mac OS X and Safari, but ultimately, he still recommends Macs over Windows for most users. Miller stressed that the exploits he has used took significant effort to develop. "Yes, I took down the Mac in under a minute each time," he told Tom's Hardware. "However, this doesn't show the fact that I spent many days doing research and writing the exploit before the day of the ...
