Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    Analyst: WinSafari Hole Still Open

    By
    Lisa Vaas
    -
    June 26, 2007
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      The vulnerabilities Errata Security found in Apples Safari beta for Windows—within hours of the browsers June 11 launch—are still open, CTO Dave Maynor said in a blog on June 25.

      “The vulnerabilities found by Errata Security are still present in the Windows version of the Browser,” he wrote.

      The posting has since been removed, pending the addition of further details, Maynor told eWEEK. Apple hadnt responded to questions by the time this posted.

      The Safari bugs are proof positive of Maynors assertion that client-side vulnerabilities are easy as pie to find in Apple code, he said.

      /zimages/7/28571.gifClick here to read about Apples latest patches.

      “I basically just ran the OSX version of Safari through a fuzzer, and it crashed in a few seconds,” he wrote in the June 25 post.

      Errata made test results public back on April 23 in this blog post after finding one particular exploit. The reason Apple hasnt jumped on fixing it, Maynor charges, is that the press has ignored this exploit.

      Also, because Safari exploits are “a dime a dozen,” Errata didnt bother to search for more exploits than the security firm needed to write an HEV (Hacker Eye View) on why enterprises should ban Safari, he said.

      “If you look at the vulnerabilities that Apple fixes quickly, they are the ones that make headlines,” Maynor said. “So reporting the vulnerability to Apple is pretty useless because they wont fix it in a timely fashion, and releasing details on it is useless as well because that would only be aiding the bad guys in creating malware. I call this only fix it if its in the public spotlight the Eddie Haskell syndrome. For those of you who didnt watch Leave it to Beaver, that means they act very responsible when someone is looking but [when their] back is turned they become a brat.”

      If Maynor sounds bitter, its because he has been sharply criticized for not disclosing vulnerabilities to Apple. One example, from Matasanos Jeremy Rauch: “…Dave, if youre not going to keep Apple in the loop, and you are going to harbor secret Safari vulnerabilities that only your company and your customers and whoever your customers talk to and whoever … manages to break into those customers may be, can I ask a favor? Can you post what your code of ethics is? A lot of us would like to know,” he wrote after Maynor published the WinSafari vulnerabilities.

      Of course, the dysfunctional relationship between Maynor and Apple goes back further than the WinSafari bugs disclosure, back at least to the fall 2006 ToorCon fiasco, where Maynor and fellow security researcher Jon “Johnny Cache” Ellch were pressured out of giving a presentation on exploitable flaws in wireless device drivers in Windows and Macs. Apple went so far as to omit mention of Maynors discovery of the flaw in acknowledgments given with the subsequent update.

      Check out eWEEK.coms Security Center for the latest security news, reviews and analysis. And for insights on security coverage around the Web, take a look at eWEEKs Security Watch blog.

      Lisa Vaas
      Lisa Vaas is News Editor/Operations for eWEEK.com and also serves as editor of the Database topic center. Since 1995, she has also been a Webcast news show anchorperson and a reporter covering the IT industry. She has focused on customer relationship management technology, IT salaries and careers, effects of the H1-B visa on the technology workforce, wireless technology, security, and, most recently, databases and the technologies that touch upon them. Her articles have appeared in eWEEK's print edition, on eWEEK.com, and in the startup IT magazine PC Connection. Prior to becoming a journalist, Vaas experienced an array of eye-opening careers, including driving a cab in Boston, photographing cranky babies in shopping malls, selling cameras, typography and computer training. She stopped a hair short of finishing an M.A. in English at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. She earned a B.S. in Communications from Emerson College. She runs two open-mic reading series in Boston and currently keeps bees in her home in Mashpee, Mass.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×