Security Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

DevilRobber now "improved", still nasty malware threat

by Kelly Guimont (Nov 18th, 2011)

We previously told you about DevilRobber and what sort of unsavory things it can do to (and with) your Mac. (In case you don't click over to read the article, here's the scoop: it's bad. Real bad.) Back in the day (November 1st), it was a ...

Core Security Technologies identifies Mac OS X sandbox hole

by Chris Rawson (Nov 14th, 2011)

Although Apple plans to require sandboxing in all third-party Mac App Store apps as of March 2012, it sounds as though Apple needs to get its own sandbox in order first. Researchers at Core Security Technologies have found a way to circumvent ...

Smart Cover unlock bug may lead to iPad 2 data exposure

by Chris Rawson (Oct 21st, 2011)

The folks at 9to5 Mac have noticed that Apple's iPad 2 Smart Cover lets you bypass a passcode lock on a device running iOS 5, albeit with limited access to the iPad's applications. Here's how the bug/exploit works. First, make sure your ...

Proof of concept: iPhone captures keystrokes via 'thump phreaking'

by Chris Rawson (Oct 19th, 2011)

Researchers at Georgia Tech have worked up a proof-of-concept demonstration of using an iPhone 4's accelerometer as a keylogger. After setting the iPhone near a computer keyboard, the device's built-in accelerometer and gyroscope were able to ...

Trojan variation disables Mac malware protection

by Chris Rawson (Oct 19th, 2011)

Researchers from F-Secure warn that a variant on a trojan discovered in September, which masquerades as an Adobe Flash Player installer, now exists and is capable of disabling OS X's built-in malware protection. OSX/Flashback.C disables the ...

Apple updates malware definitions to address PDF trojan

by Chris Rawson (Sep 26th, 2011)

According to MacRumors, Apple has updated its malware definitions to address a PDF trojan that gained widespread attention last week. While reports indicated that the trojan's damage was limited to installing a backdoor in users' systems, Apple ...

Security firm extracts Mac OS user login passwords over FireWire

by Steven Sande (Jul 26th, 2011)

OMG. Lock up your Mac now! Security firm Passware sent out a PR blast this morning noting that their $995 application Passware Kit Forensic v11 can retrieve Mac OS user login passwords, and they're saying that this "proves Mac OS Lion ...

Mac malware 'explosion' missing in action

by Richard Gaywood (Jul 21st, 2011)

The appearance of the MacDefender trojan back in May provoked a lot of back-and-forth between various tech writers (including your humble correspondent). Was this a sign that the good times were ending? That the Mac platform would come under ...

Dropbox security bug temporarily allowed logins without authentication

by Chris Rawson (Jun 20th, 2011)

Earlier today, a code update to Dropbox introduced a bug that temporarily allowed access to users' accounts and files without authentication via the company's web interface. For approximately four hours, from the time that Dropbox made the ...

iTunes fraud surge hits gift card balances, PayPal accounts

by Michael Rose (Jun 8th, 2011)

The frustration and questions surrounding iTunes App Store purchase fraud are (unfortunately) continuing. Over the past three weeks, we've received several first-hand reports of accounts with positive gift card balances being unexpectedly drained; ...