6 March 2008 @ 8:12FireWire exploit available for Mac and Win
The latest exploit affects both Macs and Windows machines. The vulnerability lies in the way FireWire handles Direct Memory Access (DMA). Theoretically, this exploit could be extended to other I/O that use DMA.
This exploit is apparently not new, but is receiving more attention due to the recent memory attacks demoed by a few Princeton students.
If this exploit gets a lot of attention, will this mean an overhaul of FireWire, a mass abandonment of FireWire, or nothing at all? One argument that is voiced quite often in such situations is the one of “physical access”. It is true that a computer can be exploited many different ways if the attacker has physical access to it. Does this mean such exploits should be downplayed? Not at all.
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