Apple’s Safari browser embarrassed at Pwn2Own, hacked in 5 seconds

By on Mar 10, 2011 at 8:34 AM
Software March 10, 2011

Safari just got served. At this year’s Pwn2Own conference, security firms and enthusiasts are doing their very best to discover and deploy exploits to some of the world’s most popular browsers. Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari, they’re all on the menu for conference attendees and some have definitely faired better than others. Google issued a challenge, promising $20,000 to any person or team that could crack Chrome on the conferences opening day, but the two teams scheduled to take a swing backed down. Firefox is, for the time being, still standing, and, per usual, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer was taken down without much fuss. But which browser faired the worst? That would be Apple’s Safari. A French security research firm named Vulpen managed to break into Safari running on a MacBook Air in a cool five seconds. The company noted that the Safari update issued by Apple yesterday — version 5.0.4 — fixes some of the vulnerabilities, but not all. The takedown of Safari 5.0.3 used exploits that are still available in the updated code base. Go ahead Apple detractors, have a little fun in the comments section.

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116 Comments

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  • MikeW

    That’s why I don’t buy Apple products, they’re shitty and easily compromised.

    • Anonymous

      Whether you buy them or not, you yourself are still an idiot.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_M26NOVOFH4YDPC6NZBEBEWXVNI Debo

    thats why i dont really use safari on my mac either. not secure to save it’s life.

  • Anonymous

    I havent met to many people that have Mac’s that use Safari, but I dont know to many hypebeasts.

  • ambient711

    hahaha

  • http://twitter.com/markpalmos Mark Palmos

    LOL
    bad apple
    its so funny, this myth about apple being reliable, less hackable etc… I have two apple computers, both crash MORE than my lowly, old, clunky, beige box windows 7 machine… which has NEVER crashed.
    aah well, pity Final Cut Pro was bought by apple who then killed off PC development.

  • Anonymous

    I had no idea that anyone uses Safari. I am a long time Mac user but I cannot recall the last time I used the browser. Chrome is an awesome browser.

  • dwinsmith

    Chrome is way better, but the article fails to mention that they worked on the exploit used for days before the competition. They didn’t just sit down and figure it out in 5 seconds.

    • Volcomfever

      exactly. they had 2 weeks to prepare for this and they spent most of that time learning OS X 64-bit code. Still, chrome is better, no doubt about it but the article is a bit mis-leading.

    • QNX Please

      People had the same access to every other browser, so the time is still relevant.

      • dwinsmith

        I realize that, but the article and headline are needlessly misleading.

      • Jamerson90

        No its not. The time it took for the exploit to work was 5 seconds. The competitors navigated to a webpage and 5 seconds later…. exploit done and info taken. They say “hacked in 5 seconds”, not “hack developed in 5 seconds”

      • dwinsmith

        If you’re incapable of understanding how the average person could be confused I can’t help you, but while you and I both know what you just said is the full story, the article does not say all of that.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_HHYXLC7BR4UXD3AE4EU5JLJC24 Tanya

    I’m interested in seeing how chrome and firefox hold up………

  • Gregory Opera

    What about Opera? Opera is not only growing in popularity at a rapid pace, but it is notoriously secure in comparison to competing browsers…

    • Jamerson90

      Opera’s rendering is also horrendous. Especially opera mobile

  • yowza

    Safari = Swiss Cheese

  • Anonymous

    Good to see firefox is still in the game. It has always been my favorite browser.

  • poseur

    I have a few Apple devices (a MBP and an iPod touch) but I’m not stupid: I quickly removed Safari from my MBP years ago: it sucks.

  • JD

    No browser is 100% safe. It’s just sad that Safari is hacked quicker than any other every year.

  • QNX Please

    iFail, anything Apple is hacked in under a minute flat, they are an embarrassment in terms of security. Let me know when something BlackBerry is hacked, that will be news.

    • poseur

      Hyperbolic rhetoric sure is awesome!

  • Synack

    OWNED APPLE!

  • http://twitter.com/Plasmaphonics Robert D. Thompson

    Steve Jobes, according to Wiki, he pretty much sucks. Abandoned his child claiming he was sterile. Still owes a former Atari (his fist job) guy $5,000, finally admitted his daughter was his, is put in an office called “Siberia” by other employees after trying to form a coup against the very CEO he courted to Apple from PEPSI. This guy is the Glenn Beck of the Computer Industry.

    • Mark

      And you are……. who ?

  • Steve Jobs

    Looks like apple still sucks

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