MacBook hacked in contest at security event

Software engineer Shane Macaulay hacked into a MacBook through a zero-day security hole in Apple's Safari browser, winning a free laptop in the process. The computer was one of two offered as a prize in the "PWN to Own" hack-a-Mac contest at the CanSecWest conference in Vancouver, Canada.

The successful attack on the second and final day of the contest required a conference organiser to surf to a malicious Web site using Safari on the MacBook -- a type of attack familiar to Windows users. CanSecWest organisers relaxed the rules Friday after nobody at the event had breached either of the Macs on the previous day.

Macaulay teamed with Dino Dai Zovi, a security researcher until recently with Matasano Security. Dai Zovi, who has previously been credited by Apple for finding flaws in Mac software, found the Safari vulnerability and wrote the exploit overnight in about nine hours, he said.

"The vulnerability and the exploit are mine," Dai Zovi said in a telephone interview from New York. "Shane is my man on the ground."

Apple spokeswoman Lynn Fox declined to comment on the MacBook hack specifically, but provided Apple's standard security comment: "Apple takes security very seriously and has a great track record of addressing potential vulnerabilities before they can affect users."

Dai Zovi plans to apply for a US$10,000 bug bounty TippingPoint announced on Thursday if a previously unknown Apple bug was used. "Shane can have the laptop, I want the money," Dai Zovi said. TippingPoint runs the Zero Day Initiative bug bounty program.

A TippingPoint representative said the company would pay, after looking at the vulnerability. "If it is an actual zero-day in Safari that's fine with us," said Terri Forslof, manager of security response at TippingPoint.

The successful hack comes a day after Apple release its fourth security update for Mac OS X this year. The update repairs 25 vulnerabilities.

CanSecWest organisers set up the MacBooks connected to a wireless router and with all security updates installed, but without additional security software or settings.