Hacker can shut down Apple MacBook battery

LOL !

Hacker can shut down Apple MacBook battery - CNN.com

You target Apple products primarily. Tell me why you've chosen to do that?
That's a good question. I started this gig four years ago -- and so back then the Apple products were way easier to break into than, say, Windows.

Really?
Yeah, they were very far behind in security.

That goes against the common perception.
Yeah, I know. People thought they were secure when they weren't. And when I told people that, no one would believe me.

So the reason I started is it was easy. But since then, with (OS X) Lion coming out, it's caught up. Now it's not any easier anymore. I either have to find something else that's easier to work on -- or whatever.

 

I've heard they can do more than shut it down... like make it explode.

 

Nah he never got that far although he tried. What surprised me was an actual Apple fanois admit the system is not as secure as Apple has led it's minions to believe. Although he says Lion and Windows 7 are pretty close security wise.

 

I think the main point he wanted to make was to break the common perception of 'Apple is safer than Windows'.

Seriously, despite the premise that I was not really into apple products and their OS, plus I preferred Windows (due to their inherent versatility), I was able to look at the situation objectively for the most part.
The reason a lot of apple users felt safer was because no one felt the need to target it initially.
Once it started to take off though, things changed.
I find it surprising when someone naively thinks that Apple is superior.
Yes, they have less to work with because they make their OS for specialized hardware, but they are also much more expensive, and honestly, it takes a little bit of learning to cope with Windows (probably just as much as it takes to get used to Apple).
When I tried Apple, that thing looked foreign to me, and I was barely able to make out heads or tails out of it's user interface (probably because I don't clutter my desktop with useless shortcuts, but instead know where things are).

Anyway... I'm glad that someone was able to get a point across.

 

Technically apple could be considered safer than windows.
Less People use it, and therefore less people probably try to hack it.

If you have 2 streets to walk down, one in the Ghetto (windows) and one in the countryside (apple).. the Ghetto has a lot more threats for your safety, and the country side road is probably safer. Thats not to say that some freak couldnt spontaneously go down the country road with a gun to attack you, but its just more likely and common to happen in the ghetto. Therefore i would say it is a fair statement to say apple is safer, simply because nobody wants to use that garbage.

 

Wow...
That's pretty cruel.
I know he never managed to make a battery explode yet that was the primary goal in the end.
Can you imagine some kid in the hospital who just got a brand new macbook air for his birthday, he plays for it for a couple of hours, and it explodes in his hands?
Or a grown man sitting down on the couch, he puts his macbook air in his lap near his groin, surfs the web for an hour or two and boom! His you know what is seriously injured...

 

this actuallly reminds me of the itunes user agreement lol.

At some point on it like many pages into the agreement, it says something like

'you may not use this software for a weapon, biological weapon, terrorist...' and it goes on. Iv seen this on the ipod user agreement stuff too, so maybe they know that the battery can be remotely blown up or something lol

edit:
You also agree that you will not use these products for any purposes prohibited by United States law, including, without limitation, the development, design, manufacture, or production of nuclear, missile, or chemical or biological weapons.

http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/ca/terms.html

 

That's pretty funny =p

 

Lol? that's hilarious

 

Couldn't agree more.

BTW .... I would feel safer in the ghetto than some backwoods. That comes from watching a lifetime of horror flicks.

 

Yes but at least with windows you get a gun of your own and the means to defend yourself and the sense that you need to protect yourself.