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from the no-such-thing-as-a-secure-computer dept.
Ars Technica reports:
Macs older than a year are vulnerable to exploits that remotely overwrite the firmware that boots up the machine, a feat that allows attackers to control vulnerable devices from the very first instruction.
The attack, according to a blog post published Friday by well-known OS X security researcher Pedro Vilaca, affects Macs shipped prior to the middle of 2014 that are allowed to go into sleep mode. He found a way to reflash a Mac's BIOS using functionality contained in userland, which is the part of an operating system where installed applications and drivers are executed. By exploiting vulnerabilities such as those regularly found in Safari and other Web browsers, attackers can install malicious firmware that survives hard drive reformatting and reinstallation of the operating system.
[Editor's Comment: The Ars Technica headline has been changed on their site to remove the word 'remote'. They note that "the hack involves use of a local exploit."]
Original Submission
(Score: 4, Funny) by edIII on Tuesday June 02 2015, @09:11PM
Uhhhhh, this is Apple and their shiny walled garden. It's not a backdoor, as much as it is your dedicated orifice, or data port if you will, to accessing that which is Apple. Just think of it like the Matrix, except Morpheus isn't sticking into you what you think he is going to stick into you, or where for that matter... :)
Don't worry, it only hurts for a second, and then you're back with the pretty blond girl in the garden. Remember, without your "data port", how can Apple protect you from dangerous raw ownership of your loved and cherished shiny hardware?
You should just be grateful that Apple uses rounded corners....
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2) by Yog-Yogguth on Saturday June 20 2015, @08:13AM
To be precise it's IEEE 1394 i.e. a FireWire receptacle :P
Bite harder Ouroboros, bite! tails.boum.org/ linux USB CD secure desktop IRC *crypt tor (not endorsements (XKeyScore))