A Wi-Fi exploit was discovered in summer 2006 that could allow a remote but nearby user to hijack a Mac OS X system via its AirPort connection – or could it? We explore this over several articles.
A potentially serious exploit of Mac OS X's wireless networking hardware drivers has had a very limited demonstration. The exploit, which apparently relies on a flaw at the lowest level of the drivers' interaction with Mac OS X's kernel, has not yet been independently confirmed, nor has Apple released a statement on the matter
Apple public relations director Lynn Fox says that the Wi-Fi exploit demonstrated by David Maynor and Jon Ellch two weeks ago in a video shown at the Black Hat 2006 conference does not represent a flaw in Apple's software or device firmware (see "Wireless Driver Hack Could Target Macs and Windows", 07-Aug-06)
Apple last week released a pair of updates, Security Update 2006-005 and AirPort Update 2006-001, which resolve a trio of related potential exploits in which a local attacker could inject a maliciously crafted frame into a wireless network
Mac OS X may be at risk via the original AirPort Card because of an attack methodology published last week as part of the Month of Kernel Bugs. The attack can corrupt some "internal kernel structures," and causes a kernel panic - a crash
Apple last week released AirPort Extreme Update 2007-001, fixing a problem on Core Duo-based Mac minis, MacBooks, and MacBook Pros that could cause crashes or worse
Two hackers wanted to show the world that Apple's much-vaunted operating system wasn't as secure as it was cracked up to be. The Month of Apple Bugs (MoAB) ran from 01-Jan-07 to 31-Jan-07, with the final day promising a future serious bug
The Wi-Fi exploit heard round the world a year ago August is now explicated in an extremely technical paper. But still no simple, verifiable, third-party proof, despite what are ostensibly the researcher's best intentions.