MacBook Air Compromised in 2 Minutes
MacBook Air Compromised in 2 Minutes
March 28, 2008: The shiny new MacBook Air has been compromised in less than two minutes as part of a CamSecWest digital security competition.
Launched at MacWorld in January, the MacBook Air shock and awed many with its slim size and dramatic debut when it emerged from a manila folder in Steve Jobs’ outstretched arms. In a similar timeframe to it’s unveiling, the laptop has been compromised in a mere two minutes as part of a CamSecWest competition aimed at seeing how quickly a laptop can be compromised.
Apple’s MacBook Air was the first to go down as part of the test, with a Sony VAIO and Fujitsu U810 also put to the test. The contest winner was Charlie Miller, the same security researcher who was famously part of the team that hacked the iPhone, and will take home $US 10,000 ($AU 10,839) and the laptop he compromised.
“Three targets, all patched. All in typical client configurations with typical user configurations. You hack it, you get to keep it,” states the CamSecWest website.
The news wasn't all bad for MacBook Air owners though, as the competition rules had to be modified to allow email and websites to be used as part of the test as no one was able to take over any of the laptops in the first round.