Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Cult of Mac, Bad Apple, Apple
Editorial: Behind the MacBook "Hack"
The web has been on fire the past few days with news of a presentation given at the BlackHat computer security conference featuring the compromising a MacBook Pro by executing very low-level code on the drivers of a wireless card. Whether or not the exploit presented actually counts as hacking of a Macintosh (they used a third party wireless card) is not at issue in this post. What I think is more important is the fact that these guys chose to demonstrate the vulnerability on a Mac, instead of a Windows or Linux machine, which are also vulnerable to the exploit. The presenters cited the "Mac userbase aura of smugness on security" as their reason for choosing a Mac as their guinea pig.
Some readers might attribute this negative attitude toward Mac users as one held only by uninformed Windows users and malicious hackers, but that is far from the case. Many very intelligent and highly respected members of the tech community feel the same way. Some of them even used to love Macs.
Before pointing any fingers and making any accusations about who lost their mind when, I think we need to take a step back and examine our behavior.
I think it is fair to assume that most Mac zealots and power users do not intend to come off as smug or holier-than-thou, but intentions do not always correlate to behavior. I can think of multiple times when I have made statements that could be interpereted as stating that OS X is the best Operating System for any and all users, even if I didn't believe that was the case. We have all made this mistake at one time or another.
I think what it comes down to is this: Mac users are so used to people making baseless assertions about how Windows/Linux is better than Mac because of x that we automatically go on the defensive when someone makes any criticism of our chosen platform, even if they are right. I certainly admit that the Mac is far from perfect and there is much Apple could do to make it better. Despite this, I feel that the combination of OS X and Apple hardware is the right choice for my computing needs.
Looking away from the users, we see an apparent attitude from Apple that certainly doesn't help matters. Quoth one of the BlackHat presenters,"We're not picking specifically on Macs here, but if you watch those 'Get a Mac' commercials enough, it eventually makes you want to stab one of those users in the eye with a lit cigarette or something." I can certainly see where he is coming from; with Apple insinuating things such as Mac's never having to re-start, or that OS X can do everything better than Windows, its not a surprise there are some hard feelings.
With the switch to Intel allowing easy virtualization of Windows and Windows applications on the Mac, we are at a turning point. I expect considerable growth in Mac market share in the years to come, but only if Apple and its users closely re-evaluate their attitudes and actions regarding many issues, not the least of which is how we interact with users of other platforms.
In the coming weeks, I plan to delve deeper into what I am coining "Mac Crisis 2.0," the first Mac crisis being the state of Apple in the mid nineties before the return of Steve Jobs. Stay tuned.
I think what it comes down to is this: Mac users are so used to people making baseless assertions about how Windows/Linux is better than Mac because of x that we automatically go on the defensive when someone makes any criticism of our chosen platform, even if they are right. I certainly admit that the Mac is far from perfect and there is much Apple could do to make it better. Despite this, I feel that the combination of OS X and Apple hardware is the right choice for my computing needs.
Looking away from the users, we see an apparent attitude from Apple that certainly doesn't help matters. Quoth one of the BlackHat presenters,"We're not picking specifically on Macs here, but if you watch those 'Get a Mac' commercials enough, it eventually makes you want to stab one of those users in the eye with a lit cigarette or something." I can certainly see where he is coming from; with Apple insinuating things such as Mac's never having to re-start, or that OS X can do everything better than Windows, its not a surprise there are some hard feelings.
With the switch to Intel allowing easy virtualization of Windows and Windows applications on the Mac, we are at a turning point. I expect considerable growth in Mac market share in the years to come, but only if Apple and its users closely re-evaluate their attitudes and actions regarding many issues, not the least of which is how we interact with users of other platforms.
In the coming weeks, I plan to delve deeper into what I am coining "Mac Crisis 2.0," the first Mac crisis being the state of Apple in the mid nineties before the return of Steve Jobs. Stay tuned.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Christopher Buckland said 9:38AM on 8-04-2006
I couldn't agree more. Well posted. I look forward to your future thoughts on this.
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Kai Cherry said 9:40AM on 8-04-2006
:)
Dan...I'm right there with ya' man. 'Tis a brave, and sadly, needed thing you propose to do.
Bon Chance!
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michel said 10:00AM on 8-04-2006
I just read here jealousy
it is the same from windows users to linux.
you seem to believe linux users are not insulted are mac users are. you are wrong
linux is now accepted in enterprise, so some people shut up. but in fact, go on to a gaming website, and you will be able to read thousands of insults about linux or mac. the same.
in fact many people cannot accept there are other choices. they fear they made the wrong choice, and so believe they could be "idiots", of course the sane anwser is "you choose what is good for you", but to be confident with themselves is not easy.
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so NO, I do not think linux or mac users or even Apple are in fault.
they could do ANYTHING, people will continue to insult
you will be accepted when you will buy DELL with Windows and shut up.
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everything could be said but they use a third parties wifi adaptors. and we know FOR YEARS in the industry than wifi is NOT SECURED.
it's nice to be sensational and make your butter with that, but if you worked in security, you will say "hey dude ! of course wifi is a danger, I strictly limited it in my enterprise, you moron !"
and people can crucify me if they want but os X is a lot more secure than windows.
they could cry and cry, but mac os X are good default parameters and none remote service allowing executions of code. Os X has none services integrated in others service with some weird runtime or remote execution systems than noone perfectly understand. that is the difference with windows : the design.
OF course, we have to expect Apple will continue to keep that design and will accept to do as linux distributors or sun and ibm : to publish known bugs and security alerts on a daily basis. (with patch).
Linux is mostly the better operating systems (cost and reliability) for many servers tasks and even sometimes some desktop task (heck! we got many researchers and professors working with it ! , people have to stop thinking there are only windows or mac to do REAL JOB to gain MONEY)
and if some cannot accept that and continue to insult, that is their problems, not OURS
and that's all.
ho and please stop the "mac users are only closing their eyes", I am working with THESE computers EVERYDAY and my job is to SURVEY security and network (and that damn wifi). We put "service pack", "patch" and others "packages" on the 3 operating systems to maintain security and improvments. noone is in disbelieving but mad windows users dreaming to break systems.
you said "I can certainly see where he is coming from; with Apple insinuating things" :
" Mac's never having to re-start, "
well, true, apart to change system task and kernel. (hotpatching the kernel, that is the future ,folks :) )
"or that OS X can do everything better than Window"
well.. it's an advertisement ! and a good one, every people speak about it, are infuriating or in laugh thanks to it. it is a good ads. "speak about me, bad or good , but speak about me".
of course apple can do EVERYTHING better than the competition, and the toyota is SO much better than general motors or ford. of couuuurse, it's the wonderful world of advertisement. not a documentary.
go back to earth.
apple will change their ads eventually , and every pundit will say "ha we were right, they changed their ad because it was bad". but do not believe that : Apple did succeed in their goal : to force everyone to speak about them and know the Mac.
please understand that , Apple will never change their attitude, because THAT attitude is the one thing forcing YOU , "journalists" to speak and speak and speak again about ONE enterprise among others in the industry and that is Apple.
and now Apple could say :
"ha! hackers are so eager to break our computers because they are such a challenge, we are that good. and EVERY website is all about MAC !"
--
"In the coming weeks, I plan to delve deeper into what I am coining "Mac Crisis 2.0," the first Mac crisis being the state of Apple in the mid nineties before the return of Steve Jobs. Stay tuned."
you mean, a crisis ? the crisis for one of the best enterprises of the computing industry ? one of the best known ? a lot more respected and known than in 90s ? one of only ones which is gaining money ?
why do you not speak about the HP crisis ? NOW, the really NOW HP Crisis!
ho yeah, because we are on Unofficial APPLE weblog.
and not an Unofficial HP weblog.. noone care about HP.
noone cares.
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Slothrop said 10:00AM on 8-04-2006
It's worth pointing out that this perceived Mac "attitude" comes from the top down. In other words, the hackers cite the tone of the latest Mac ads as one of the things that bothers them. From the link: "We're not picking specifically on Macs here, but if you watch those 'Get a Mac' commercials enough, it eventually makes you want to stab one of those users in the eye with a lit cigarette or something." I worry that some of our alleged smugness is encouraged (even invented) by Apple's marketing department.
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Jesse said 10:05AM on 8-04-2006
Someone (ahem michel) needs to learn how to type and spell a little better...
I agree with you Dan, 100 percent
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forbin said 10:17AM on 8-04-2006
it was a macbook (non-pro)
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Likkie said 10:25AM on 8-04-2006
I can't agree more with your comments.
The smug attitude exuded by many Mac users is sickening. I am a new Mac user, and I LOVE my mac, but I don't go around telling people about it, I don't want to be associated with "Them".
I have to say thought that reading the comments of Mac/Windows/Linux zealots is a huge laugh and what got me into reading blogs in the first place. The outrageous and often completely baseless assertions are hilarious to the non-partisan.
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AirBlock said 10:27AM on 8-04-2006
You know, despite having worked with Macs, Windows, and Linux boxes for my entire life, and being heavily vested in the computer world (I'm currently writing my computer Science PhD dissertation), the one thing I don't understand is why other people care so much about which operating system I use. Furthermore, why do people associate a personality based on my choice of operating system? Its an operating system, all it does for me is run programs. Yes I spend more time with it then my wife (that's actually a very depressing thought), but it doesn't reflect anything about me. If Linux and PC users think I'm smug because I try and convince them to "get a mac" when they buy their next computer, then I'm sorry. I only suggest this because PC users complain non-stop about how unstable their system is, and Linux users may not want to hack every aspect of a system all of them (if they do, that's cool). Sorry for ranting, I'm just sick of people who think their "oh-so-cool" because they hate Macs and Mac users. Instead of "getting a Mac" they may want to "get a Life" first.
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babble said 10:33AM on 8-04-2006
If smug hackers at Black Hat have an issue with Apple's marketing department, they should more properly be directing their ire THERE.
The deeper problem is the shoddy reporting of this (non-) hack around the Mac web. How many headlines reporting this make it clear that the hack also affects WIndows and Linux users using the same third party wireless card? How many articles reporting the hack make it clear that it depends on a third party card at all? How many articles make it clear that the built-in wifi hardware the vast majority of Mac users are using have nothing at all to do with this hack?
There *is* an attitude problem afoot, but it's not coming from the Mac rank and file.
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Adam Turetzky said 10:39AM on 8-04-2006
What is this? The self-loathing Mac lovers support group?
I don't agree with any of this. The smugness is well earned. And most of it comes from decades of being slammed for choosing a "toy" over a "real computer".
And 90% of that slamming is fueled by hate as users of other platforms toil with their machines to make them work while we Mac users enjoy nearly trouble-free performance for most of our tasks. I have users in my office with uptimes going on 90 days. It's gotten to the point that some of these people don't even know you have to restart a computer!
Furthermore, all of our software and needless do-hickeys for our platform "look" 1000 times cooler than anything on the other platforms. Bottom line: we're prettier.
Instead of hanging your head in shame, be proud of your good looks and ease of use! Don't apologize for it.
After years of being dismissed we're finally getting recognized.
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babble said 10:50AM on 8-04-2006
...and yes, before any of you jump on it, I too have read Krebs followup in which he claims the Black Hat guys claimed the MacBook's built-in wifi hardware was vulnerable to the same hack.
If that were TRUE, however, they would have demonstrated it. Why go to relatively elaborate trouble of staging a demonstration of a hack and then claim - with no evidence whatsoever - that the hack works on other hardware? Until they demonstrate it, it's just an unsupported claim.
The problem at hand is twofold: lazy journalists and Black Hat kids looking to make a name for themselves.
Equating any of this to smugness on the part of Mac *users* is just not a supportable argument.
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TT said 10:50AM on 8-04-2006
Well said, though I would hardly call this a crisis. Things haven't looked better for Apple and Macs since 1984. I will continue to recommend Macs to those who ask, or are in the market for a computer but don't ask. If they don't want to listen, that's fine with me--they can deal with the problems themselves.
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Kai Cherry said 10:54AM on 8-04-2006
I think, from the comments so far Dan...
People are going to miss your point :)
I'm pullin' for ya man...it going to be a long, brutal uphill battle and I hope you stick with it :)
-K
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Charles Miller said 11:12AM on 8-04-2006
Not a promising start to the series.
The problem with the MacBook exploit reporting was that it was sensationalist and inaccurate. If you believe the hacker and journalist, it's a systemic exploit that affects the majority of wireless drivers on multiple platforms. If you believe only the video evidence, it's an exploit in an obscure third-party device driver. Either way, the "MacBook PWNED!!!!11111!!!!!" headline was misleading, and the journalist deserved to be held accountable for it.
Journalists and vulnerability researchers both know that if you demonstrate a flaw in Windows, or in a Wintel laptop, nobody really cares. It's just another security flaw. If you do the same thing to a Mac, it's news. A bunch of largely cosmetic problems with recent MacBook models got more media attention than reports of Dell notebooks _exploding_, ferchrissakes.
(Or, for that matter, try launching the Unofficial Dell Weblog, and see how far that gets you)
There are reasons for this. Apple is a high-profile target. It sets itself high targets of quality and innovation, and deserves criticism if they are not met. Mac users tend to be more passionate about their choice of computer, but then again that's because most Mac users _chose_ to use a Mac, whereas the vast majority of Windows users just ended up there by default.
This is just a continuation of that sensationalist thread, though. "Crisis 2.0?" Give me a break. Aside from the heinous crime of slapping the weary '2.0' label on any word to make it seem fresh and new, where's the story? Apple advertising is arrogant? 1984 called, it wants its headline back.
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PXLated said 11:22AM on 8-04-2006
Crises...Not!
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wAkO said 11:29AM on 8-04-2006
I agree with your comments. Mac users that think they are completely bullet proof to any type of vulnerabilities. Furthermore anyone to say something is wrong with a Mac they quickly refute it and believe it is impossible or falsified.
Case and point #10's post. Completely discredits legitimate evidence.
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Chimpy said 11:30AM on 8-04-2006
Maybe I'm not seeing the whole picture, but why would a mac user use a third-party wireless card? Is this in lieu of an airport card, or is this some other kind of card (like those nifty cellphone thingies)? The easy and delightdul thing about mac hardware and software is how it works together; I can't see complicating matters by using a thrid-party card to save $8. If my security is only compromised if I use third-party connectivity hardware, then I can go right back to being rightfully smug.
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Brian said 11:34AM on 8-04-2006
Whether or not the hack is real, the reporting surrounding it was/is sloppy as hell. And by choosing to demonstrate on a MacBook and being such...jerks...about the reasoning, the hackers only did the computing community a disservice. If the vulnerability exists on multiple platforms, that's what they should have demonstrated. Instead, these two come off like conceited bitheads looking to prove a point about the Mac, not about wireless security.
Which they may be, and that deserves to be reported, too (and isn't being, in my opinion).
As for your assertions about Apple's attitude and the attitudes of Mac users in general, all I can tell you is that I don't see it. Personally, I see the Mac as a tool. Like all tools, computers should be bought and used on the basis of what meets your needs. I buy the hammer that fits my hand...why shouldn't I do the same with computers? And I tell people that while I prefer the Mac, and tell them why -- politely, calmly, and even-handedly. Is that smug?
According to much of what I've read lately, yes.
Yet I never say anything like "Macs don't have viruses." I say "Macs have far fewer virus problems...really none at the moment, though that will likely change." I never say "I don't restart my Mac." I say "My Mac crashes less than my PC." And my users talk the same way. Of the fifty-some clients I have that use Macs, I can think of one who's a knee-jerk Mac fan. The rest just know what works for them.
I really get tired of the broad-brushing and of being told how "smug" Mac users and Mac fans are. And I get tired of being told "there aren't any Windows zealots like you Mac guys have." Right. Instead of "Windows zealots," I have to listen to "Apple haters." They're worse because they can't tell me what rocks about their computers -- only what sucks about mine.
Then I have to listen to *NIX users, who are worse by far than Mac fans, telling me how Apple sucks, and Ubuntu (or whatever flavor is hot this month) is the stuff. They, at least, are trying to put something positive out there, even if a tremendous number of them are either irretrievably geeky (forgiveable) or hugely conceited and self-satisfied (not forgiveable). I'm pretty sure "RTFM" originated among UNIX geeks.
But no matter how even-handed I am about my platform, no matter how much I qualify my Mac preferences with phrases like "at the moment" and "comparatively" and "in my opinion, your mileage may vary," I get called the smug one.
So color me uninterested in the next manufactured soap opera about Apple. I'm going to go use my computer and get some productive work done, instead of ginning up some kind of "crisis" that's based primarily on ossified attitudes that are apparently never going to change. What you and the two geeks at BlackHat perceive as "arrogance" is generally called "marketing." Is it arrogant of 409 to claim that their product cuts grease better than Windex? It it arrogant when Dove claims to moisturize your skin more effectively than "the leading brand"? No, it's called advertising, and apparently Apple is the only company in the world that's criticized for doing it.
Lame.
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Spencer Hales said 12:06PM on 8-04-2006
You have an interesting point.
Yes, I agree that there probably are a lot of the frothing Mac zealots out there, but they are vastly outnumbered by more cool headed and reasonable people who use Macs because it meets their needs.
I love the Mac OS, and I continue to buy Apple products because they do what I need to so well, but I run multiple distributions of Linux as well as Windows too with no reservations. I wish people would drop the mindset that Mac users are unreasonable, smug pricks and realize that the same group of people exists for every operating system, and really most other products that have competition.
As for those highly controversial ads, I think people need to step back and realize what they are. They are creative marketing that establishes the Apple brand in peoples minds. Of course the claims aren't beyond reproach; that's what advertising is. How effective is advertising that is afraid to go beyond just cold hard facts? Not very.
Every person I have talked to about the ads, or watched the ads with, most of which are just your casual, run of the mill computer users, thought they were hilarious. You know what? People will see those ads and they will remember Apple the next time they need to buy a computer. For the people that aren't interested or involved in the Macs suck/rock vs. Windows sucks/rocks battle, the ads are great. Apple's marketing people are experts at what they do, and a lot of people in advertising (which I work in) will tell you that Apple has some of the most effective advertising around.
No, I don't think that Macs are invulnerable to security exploits and restarting. No, they aren't superior to Windows PCs in every respect. I know they aren't. But that's not the point. The ads are just poking fun at some of the things that bother people about Windows, and in many respects, Macs are arguably better in the areas that they claim they are.
I'm just tired of people attacking Mac users and Macs in general because they take the ads too seriously, and I'm sick of Mac users who feel like they need to placate said attackers by deriding Apple's marketing.
It's advertising people. Let's just leave it at that.
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Kai Cherry said 12:31PM on 8-04-2006
I think a LOT of you are missing the point...which I suspected.
Do you realize...that it is impossible to have a critical discourse on *anything* Apple on the "Mac Web"?
Do you realize how...unstable...how...frothing fanboy that is?
Ask yourselves this: Does Apple, the company, employ raving luntatics? Have you walked into Apple Retail...The Face of Apple and seen *their employees* act this way?
They are informed...they are engaging...they are helpful and sympathetic. That's APPLE.
Even the "smug" ads aren't really...they are much more "matter-of-fact" than "toldja so".
The problem is the Fan Club, and not the artist. I have seen poor, innocent people nearly *mugged* trying to buy PC's. I've seen them insulted, cajoled...its HORRIBLE.
I mean really...what's with the malformed egos and put upon attitudes? Macs are great machines...the platform is a fantastic computing platform. Thats why you chose to use it.
That said...if *other* people seem to 1. not know this or 2. misrepresent it...*why do you care?*
I mean care to the point of *vitriolic knee jerk reaction* care. Is it really that deep?
Dan has a point. People that would be more turned on by Macs in this "new era" are even MORE put off by essentially a-hole know it alls.
Its like people say about "iPod killers" all the time:
"Yeah, that's smart, insult your target market...thats a way to sway them."
Its the EXACT same thing. There are people on the fence all the time...and honestly, I'm told the one thing they *don't* want to be associated with is "arrogant Mac Users".
People...its not the 80s anymore. Learn some new tricks...or just come to the Zen understanding that, in the grand scheme of things, all computing is better because it works in the "Apple way" more or less.
Some people just don't see the *value* in the "Real Deal"...and for whatever reason need to justify *their* bad decisions. If you a confident, *really confident* Mac person...you just..don't...care.
I mean, who in their right mind defends a *good* decision? The FUD? Its 20 years deep people...and quite honestly, you're a "Mac person" or a "not"...there isn't a lot of sway in there. There is no "get the message out"...
The Signal to Noise ratio *is* out of hand.
Apple, on its OWN MERITS, is not perfect. But it doesn't matter; with Mac sites and "mac zealots" its not even a matter of truth anymore...it can't be discussed...it is anathema...its just blind me-too, dare I say it...groupthink.
The same kind of stuff the "PeeCee" users "guilty" of. Hello? HELLO?
So I say, press on Dan. Use the comments in this blog post as an example of the insanity.
Enough is enough. Heal from within, I say.
Start today: Mention one thing about Apple, or Apple's products, on their own merits, that could use improving...*without qualifying the statement*.
Say it quietly, to yourself. Can you do it? If not, you're one of those "arrogant Mac Users" we're talking about.
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