Video: See the Apple keyboard keylogger hack in action
The world is not coming to end, at least not any faster than it was last month. Thereupon, a guy going by the handle K. Chen demonstrated a hack at last week’s Black Hat conference in Lost Wages that can be used to infect the firmware of an Apple keyboard and log all of the keystrokes.
This news comes to us via SemiAccurate and as shown requires physical access to the Mac one wants to attack, though it’s said a remote exploit probably wouldn’t require much effort to effect. As per their usual modus operandi, the hacker community has worked themselves into another “we told you so” lather of righteous indignation.
So, yes, we get it—a Mac is just a computer and is hackable. Hacking any computer is just a matter of access and time.
That said, given that hacker and security conventions are said to be large scale gatherings of Mac owners, I’m not going to rush out and buy a PC for which there are thousands of known exploits in the wild.
It’s not just that Macs are marginally more secure for the moment, it’s also the case that I really like them and so apparently do large numbers of hackers. And, although hacking the Mac is usually worth a few splashy headlines, it’s not yet an effective attack vector for taking over and ruling the world.
What’s the take away then? The same as it always is with this kind of news: 1.) stay away from porn and warez sites, period, 2.) turn off automatic log-in and 3.) get some antivirus software, keep it fresh and run it.
Will taking these steps keep you safe? Well, perhaps safer, but a motivated and knowledgeable individual with time and access can make your Mac bark Jingle Bells in Croation…
What’s your take?
Other security posts include:
— Firefox 3.5.2 patches Chrome privilege escalation issue
— Adobe releases Acrobat, Reader patches [u]
— Safari 4.0.2 patches cross-scripting vulnerability
— Apple’s going deep, wide with Mac OS X 10.5.8
Filed under: Mac
