Internet browser security no match for hackers at Vancouver conference
It took Charlie Miller mere seconds to hack into Safari at this week’s CanSecWest conference in Vancouver. Conference spokeswoman Melissa Pelto also said a graduate student from Germany, identified only as Nils, was able to hack into both Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox. The hacking contest also focuses on iPhones, BlackBerrys and a range of smartphones, but by Thursday afternoon Ms. Pelto said no one had successfully hacked the mobile devices. As Ms. Pelton pointed out, the contestants in the hacking contest, which is sponsored by Tipping Point, prepare their exploits in advance and Nils took some time with his because he ran into problems. Last year Mr. Miller, who is a principal analyst at Independent Security Evaluators, won $10,000 for cracking the MacBook Air in less than two minutes. This year, he takes home a $5,000 prize and the MacBook he hacked.