IE8 and Safari First to Fall at Pwn2Own 2011
IE8 and Safari First to Fall at Pwn2Own 2011
Posted 03/10/2011 at 1:53pm
| by Paul Lilly
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Apple earlier today updated its Safari browser to version 5.0.4, plugging up 62 security holes in the process. Even so, it took French security firm Vupen just 5 seconds to exploit the browser and take home a $15,000 bounty from TippingPoint for doing so. This marks the first time in four years that Charlie Miller, an analyst with Security Evaluators, wasn't first to crack the Safari browser in the annual Pwn2Own contest. And what of Microsoft's IE8 browser? It didn't fare much better.
First, let's be clear that the exploit wasn't written in 5 seconds. The winning exploit was written ahead of time for the previous version of Safari -- version 5.0.3 -- on the MacBook Air. In order to win the $15,000 prize, the exploit had to still work in version 5.0.4, which it did, ComputerWorld reports.
As for Internet Explorer 8, which was not updated immediately before the contest began, it also fell at the hands of its first attacker. Stephen Fewer, founder of Harmony Security, bypassed IE8's Protected Mode, which is a sort of sandbox mode intended to isolate the browser from the OS in case a website installs malicious software.
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trhl4589
March 11, 2011 at 2:54pm
i do because somtimes i think ie9 can be slower at times and vice versa
OhSoCheesy
March 10, 2011 at 8:24pm
If it only took 5 seconds for Safari and not much longer for IE8, then why didn't they do Chrome today?!?! :)
MrBlueCheese
March 10, 2011 at 8:54pm
They are not using those browsers.
The only browsers they are allowed to hack on are IE8, Chrome 9 and Firefox 3.6
cpuking2010
March 10, 2011 at 2:17pm
Let me just say: BAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH..... BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. Thank you.
Belboz99
March 10, 2011 at 3:50pm
Chrome is un-pwned, for the 3rd year...
Firefox will have it's trial by fire tomorrow.
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