The problem is, a LOT of the windows vulnerabilities require exactly the
same thing that was required on the mac...a single click on a website.

From the article:

"While this is a significant flaw that needs to be patched, it is unlikely
that anyone who wanted access to a system would be able to set up such a
Rube Goldberg event chain to gain access to a specific users' files."

They set this Rube Goldberg event chain all the time on windows, how many
times is it because of what users do to their own systems?

Again:

"Windows does not do this.  (ask for permission to install/change system
files etc) Even the "new and improved" Vista does not ask for
authentication. It asks the user to click Allow, after previously having
asked the user to click Allow repeatedly. Guess what most users will do when
prompted to Allow some executable to do some technical sounding thing in the
Registry?"

So the author describes security on both machines as having to force user
input to allow changes, but only the mac guy is smart enough to hit cancel?
Ridiculous.  Vista gains a critical area in security and apparently it's not
*exactly* as on a mac so it's a complete failure?

More:

"An anonymous user on Slashdot (an anonymous user..wow..hope he triple
checked his sources. He should have perhaps checked a security vendors
website or maybe even, oh...Apple?) described the exploit as involving a
JavaScript routine. Sun's Java and Netscape's JavaScript share little in
common apart from their names, but both are third party browser plugins that
are not specific to Safari. Exploiting either one and calling it a "Mac
exploit" is disingenuous."

So who is being disingenuous?  eWeek reports that it is not a java problem
but a Quicktime bug.

http://securitywatch.eweek.com/apple/quicktime_bug_affects_all_javaenabled_browsers.html

The blog goes on to blame in several instances that 'third party software
was to blame' for any exploit.

"That also highlights a fact many 'security experts' don't seem to grasp:
installing software changes your level of security. While Macs are quite
secure when kept up to date, installing software and turning on new services
can open one up to attack vectors that Apple can't control for you."

Third party software??  It was a Quicktime bug...Apple.   So now Apple
installed Quicktime is third party software?

This from Newsfactor:  http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=51967

As it turns out, by enticing a user to visit a Web page containing a
maliciously crafted Java applet, an attacker can exploit the QuickTime bug,
leading to arbitrary code execution, according to an Apple bulletin.
"The bug is considered "very serious," Apple said, and can be exploited
through any Java-enabled browser, including
Microsoft<http://www.cio-today.com/accuserve/accuserve-go.php?c=6098>
[image:
Relevant 
Products/Services]<http://www.cio-today.com/accuserve/accuserve-go.php?c=6098>'s
Internet Explorer 7, Mozilla's Firefox, and Apple's own Safari. The
vulnerability affects Macs and Windows PCs."

So now we have even APPLE calling it a quicktime bug.

Looks like roughlydrafted is being a little disingenuous.

Mike





On 5/11/07, Tom Piwowar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

>I admit it...you are right.  Macworld lied...computerworld...dozens of
news
>organizations lied.  MS paid big for this one.  I take it all back.

Nice review of the press reporting on the CanSecWest Mac crack at Roughly
Drafted
<
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/RDM.Tech.Q2.07/616874CC-35CE-49D3-B859-C2
719B6FF352.html>

"Beyond the glaring error of conflating a remote exploit with something
that requires a concerted effort between a user acting locally on the
machine and an outside party, Gohring's article perpetuated a number of
myths about Mac security."





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