Mac hacks begin, new browser

Mac is hacked by QuickTime, Linux warned on threats and a new web broswer for Apple

25 April 2007 10:49 GMT / By Ryan Haynes

A vulnerability last week which was widely reported that Safari was the reason for a Mac hack proved to be wrong when the hacker admitted it was QuickTime that got him into the system.

The hacker managed to commandeer a brand new MacBook Pro last week, but the flaw was found to be in Apple's QuickTime, with warnings being raised that even using Firefox will put users in danger if using the media playback software.

Dino Dai Zovi, the hacker, on Tuesday declined to discuss the QuickTime hack in detail other than to say it allows a client-side Java error to execute arbitrary code when a Java-enabled browser visits a malicious website. Last month, Apple issued an update that plugged eight holes in the popular media playback software.

While Kaspersky Labs decided to send out a press release stating the Linux and Apple systems will become at risk to malware and attacks soon, because of the problems experienced by Vista. The company claim that Vista's lukewarm reception will drive more customers towards alternative platforms.

"Home users are not so loyal to the OS. Not many of them are satisfied with Microsoft Vista", Kaspersky told PC Pro. "Some Windows users will switch to other OSes. Microsoft will not lose its dominance, but it will be reduced a bit".

Now as an addition, Macs are being offered a further web browser, Shiira 2.0. It is meant to be more useful than Safari even though the software uses the same rendering engine as Apple's own browser.

The software automatically fetches in bookmarks from Safari and other browsers, and allows users to navigate through open pages using a visual representation hosted at the bottom of the page. Features include Page Dock, which lets users Tab through open pages using thumbnail views; a full screen mode for multimedia assets; and a visual way to bookmark web pages.

Full tags

Software, Online, Viruses And Malware, Apple, Linux