Security researcher finds hack vulnerability in Mac battery chips
He aught to be charged with assault on battery
He aught to be charged with assault on battery
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Shocking!
- Thread starter iHarrison
- Start date
If someone actually uses this exploit, this could become a worrying scenario.
Changing or removing the over-discharge and charge voltage thresholds of the charge controller would cause the Li-ion pack to 'vent with flame', as the cell manufacturers so lovingly put it. In reality, an overcharged Li-ion cell will blow its emergency pressure vents out and possibly catch fire...not good.
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Security researcher finds hack vulnerability in Mac battery chips
He aught to be charged with assault on battery
I will have you know that I am the resident "Bad Punster"!
Any future violations and you will be severly pun . . . ished.
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As attention grabbing as this headline is, it's really not a huge deal.
Charlie Miller has learned over time that you tend to get much bigger headlines by hacking Apple products than Acers. Why? Everyone expects generic box-builders to have vulnerabilities, but Apple is always held to a much higher standard (and rightfully so).
You'll notice that Miller didn't bother checking to see whether the password-protection for the battery controller was at defaults for any other manufacturer, just Apple.
But I digress... keep in mind that in order for a piece of malware to actually execute this hack, your Mac would first need to be compromised in some way to allow it to run the code. Assuming you're not the type to enter your admin password willy-nilly or download software from untrusted sources, this is not a big deal at all. Is it a vulnerability? Yes. Should it be fixed ASAP? Yes. But the risk is probably not any higher than having a defective battery explode in your Mac without being compromised.
Charlie Miller has learned over time that you tend to get much bigger headlines by hacking Apple products than Acers. Why? Everyone expects generic box-builders to have vulnerabilities, but Apple is always held to a much higher standard (and rightfully so).
You'll notice that Miller didn't bother checking to see whether the password-protection for the battery controller was at defaults for any other manufacturer, just Apple.
But I digress... keep in mind that in order for a piece of malware to actually execute this hack, your Mac would first need to be compromised in some way to allow it to run the code. Assuming you're not the type to enter your admin password willy-nilly or download software from untrusted sources, this is not a big deal at all. Is it a vulnerability? Yes. Should it be fixed ASAP? Yes. But the risk is probably not any higher than having a defective battery explode in your Mac without being compromised.
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