Mac flaw could let hackers get scrambled data
Primary Topic Channel:
Computer security
A Mac security expert has uncovered a technique that hackers could use to take control of Apple computers and steal information that is scrambled to protect it from identity thieves, Reuters reports. Prominent Mac researcher Dino Dai Zovi disclosed the software flaw at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, one of the world's top forums for exchanging information on internet threats. The technique that Dai Zovi unveiled on July 29, dubbed "Machiavelli," only works on machines that already have been victimized. It reportedly can take control of Apple's Safari browser, stealing encrypted data from a user's bank accounts. Attacks on Apple computers are extremely rare, but security experts say that will change as Macs gain market share on PCs running Microsoft's Windows operating system. Security experts have identified at least three viruses infecting Macs over the past year. Dai Zovi, a security researcher and co-author of "The Mac Hacker's Handbook," said that once hackers start to put substantial resources into targeting Apple's computers, they will be at least as vulnerable as Windows machines. "There is no magic fairy dust protecting Macs," he said in an interview...
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