March 18th, 2009
Pwn2Own 2009: Safari/MacBook falls in seconds
[ UPDATE: IE 8 and Safari also fall ]
VANCOUVER, BC — Charlie Miller has done it again. For the second consecutive year, the security researcher hacked into a fully patched MacBook computer by exploiting a security vulnerability in Apple’s Safari browser.
“It took a couple of seconds. They clicked on the link and I took control of the machine,” Miller said moments after his accomplishment.
The contest kicked off at exactly 3:15 PM and, within seconds, Miller launched his drive-by attack and claimed the $10,000 top prize. He also got to keep the MacBook machine.
Miller said he came to the CanSecWest security conference with a plan to hack into Safari and had tested the exploit carefully to ensure “it worked the first time.”
TippingPoint’s Zero Day Initiative has acquired the exclusive rights to the vulnerability and coordinate the disclosure and patch release process with Apple.
Technical details of the vulnerability will not be released until a patch is ready.
Several hackers are currently attempting exploits against Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox but those browsers are still standing.
See the final contest rules here.
[ UPDATE: IE 8 and Safari also fall ]
Ryan Naraine is a journalist and security evangelist at Kaspersky Lab. He manages Threatpost.com, a security news portal. Here is Ryan's full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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