Apple Is Spamming Me

Every time I get an email from Apple I:

1) Feel like I'm dumb.

2) Ignore it.

3) Get annoyed and unsubscribe from the mailing list.

Only I continue to get at least one email from Apple every two days that I do not want. Has anyone else had this problem? Does anyone know how to make it so Apple never contacts me again?

If so, please enlighten me!

Over And Out

Mac OS X More Vulnerable than Windows

Bring on the haters. It has been proven that Windows is significantly less vulnerable than Mac OS X. With 234 highly critical flaws in OS X in comparison to 23 for Windows XP + Windows Vista in 2007 (yes the sum total of both Windows OS's) it can now be made fact that at this point OS X is 10x more vulnerable than Windows.

Everyone knew when Apple went mainstream that this was going to become a significant issue, but what's interesting is the magnitude.

Apple software is perceived to be flawless and virus free. Amazing they have these perceptions given the Apple Hack a Day and iPhone flaws that were found almost immediately following the release of security patches.

Is it time for someone to sue Apple over their security advertisements?

Read more about the ZD Net study here:
http://cybernetnews.com/2007/12/18/mac-os-x-more-vulnerable-than-windows/

Hack A Day:
http://mattstark.blogspot.com/2007/04/hack-mac-to-own-probook-and-10000-usd.html

iPhone Fixes:
http://mattstark.blogspot.com/2007/08/ha-ha-crapple-iphone-fixes.html

Over And Out

Apple and Big Picture Strategy

I was sitting there watching Steve Jobs help push one of the biggest Software evolutions in history: The Web Application.

I sat there distraught, thinking, SNAP DANG, my blackberry's browser sucks. My Nokia browser sucks. I quickly installed Opera Mini 4 beta and hit the net on my mobile device. I jumped onto the iPhone Facebook site, logged in on my Blackberry Pearl and started poking around.

Just about then this thought came racing through my mind so I logged onto the iPhone Facebook site on my desktop PC. I was stoked. It worked in both places. Stupid me, of course it worked in both places. So then I started thinking, I wonder if I could use this on a Mac? I don't have a Mac, but I'm sure I could.

Then, this random stream of thought flew through my head: What if Apple is only going to allow a web (Safari) SDK to develop for the iPhone? What if they never release a stand alone SDK for the iPhone?

Well, first, this would probably mean that every application you'd run on the iPhone would be web based... well ah dah. Then I thought, I wonder if they will allow web plugins to run - What if I could run Flash on the iPhone? Then I could create a real RIA with full graphics capability, and use the Safari API's to access the cell features. I loved it.

Then I started thinking, SNAP DARN (Actually, it was more like, I wonder how I could use this for business??). Then I stopped. It slammed me straight in the forehead with no less ferocity than a four by four being slammed into the scull. I could use this for business, infact, I could use this phone for more business features than my Blackberry or my Nokia. And, I could do this all from within the Safari browser. I could not only log into my Intranet, I could follow links from my intranet into my Web Based business applications. So there I was looking at a nice high color graph in Safari thinking: "I can't believe people don't think this will fly in the corporate world".

Then it dawned on me. Apple does not have a very strong foot hold in corporate - in mobile, or desktop. A major issue for Apple was that none of the stand alone software would run on the Mac platform. Well, then came Windows Virtualization on the Mac. That solved the problem nicely, but it still doesn't help Apple. Why should Apple require virtualization to run business applications on their platform? Sure they can still sell more licenses! But why should Apple have Windows virtualization? This has to be helping their single largest competitor maintain it's foothold - and further, allows developers to continue to build applications for the Windows Environment - something they were already skilled and trained to do.

For Apple to grow in corporate, and consumer markets they needed to be able to leverage all the existing hot technologies out there - especially web based applications which nominalize the desktop Operating System. Further, Apple is branching out with it's other devices and including web browsing over WiFi and everything is based on the Safari browser.

So my theory was that Apple could gain a stronger foothold in the corporate market by forcing developers of the iPhone to develop mobile web interfaces. The back ends for these mobile apps would be leveraged against the desktop app (most likely the other way around). So Apple can easily and quickly have people build services for their devices - and easily extend web based business applications to the iPhone.

Further, if Apple can contribute toward the perception that all software will be web based ASAP then they can expiditiously eliminate problems where software will not run on the Apple Desktop.

So yesterday Apple announced they will be opening the iPhone to third party developers. Does this undermine their support of web applications being the future now? Will this negatively affect Apple's ability to reach corporate markets? Is Apple limiting itself to the consumer market? You tell me!

The iPhone is a Piece of Shit and So is Your Face!

Oh Man Oh Man ... If you don't read The Best Page In The Universe you really should start. This guy is just hilarious.

Which is why I point you to his pointed article entitled: The iPhone is a piece of shit, and so is your face.

I thought it was pretty funny, but then again I wasn't too excited about the iPhone hype and I really like my Blackberry.

The following animated gif is property of The Best Page In The Universe and I will remove it at their request:



Over and Out

What Do Apple Users Not Hate?

Does anybody actually think Microsoft cares about Mac Office? I think it's hilarious they released the ArtOfOffice.com before releasing Microsoft Office 2008 Mac edition. That's a real slap in the face. And you know what, as long as you attack MS for being a business OS, they will never take you seriously.

So,

To all the PO'd Mac users out there, why don't you stop whining about something and start proving you're not just whiners by putting a bunch of links to something that didn't come out of Apple that you actually like.

I'd really be fascinated to see what types of things Mac users like. If they are not complaining that Vista is a rip off of OS X which is a rip off of Linux, then they are complaining they can't get Microsoft's new version of Office on a Mac.

Moreover, they hated the new iMac design back in 1997. They are even so insecure they think Adobe hates Mac users. I'm sure Adobe puts more into developing Microsoft products ... kind of like a 95% market share thing there.

They hate brushed metal interfaces, and all of the sudden the don't really hate Microsoft.

My favorite has to be they think they hate their Mac, but they are not quite sure.

Anyway, if you are a Mac user and you've written about something you really like, I'd be fascinated to know what it is ... I mean anything other than Steve Jobs and Apple products that is ...

I think you guys secretly love Microsoft Office 2007 with the Ribbon ... Let it out!!

Over and Out

Ha Ha ... Crapple iPhone Fixes

I was talking to a friend at Microsoft about the Mac vs. PC debate. Apple seems to promote their products as being virus free - or at least as the commercial would say - there are many more viruses for Windows. OK but what about the exploits.

My friend was very quick to point out that Apple controls less than 5% of the OS market and because of that few exploits had been written to cripple Apple systems. Well, the iPhone is predicted to be a huge success for Apple, so it isn't very shocking that hackers would attack it.

The real shock are the types of vulnerabilities that are being fixed. I consider these vulnerabilities to be very fundamental and require little understanding of hacking to actually execute. As the Apple press release states:

1. 2 Cross Site Scripting Vulnerabilities in Safari.
2. 2 Heap Buffer Overflow flaws in Safari cause arbitrary code execution or application termination.
3. 1 Fishing Scam Flaw
4. Another MASSIVE flaw allowing any internet programmer to completely take over the device:

"When the iPhone's version of Safari opens the malicious web page, arbitrary code embedded in the exploit is run with administrative privileges. In our proof of concept, this code reads the log of SMS messages, the address book, the call history, and the voicemail data. It then transmits all this information to the attacker. However, this code could be replaced with code that does anything that the iPhone can do. It could send the user's mail passwords to the attacker, send text messages that sign the user up for pay services, or record audio that could be relayed to the attacker."

Here is a little video showing the MASSIVE iPhone flaw




The guys who found this massive flaw suggest 3 strategies to mitigate risk in using the iPhone:

• Only visit sites you trust. If you don't visit attackers' sites, you give them one less attack vector.
• Only use WiFi networks you trust. If attackers have control of your Internet connection, they have the ability to insert exploits into any website you visit.
• Don't open web links from emails. Many current viruses send links to malicious sites in emails that look like they are from trusted contacts.

I've never seen any of these flaws on my Blackberry.

Dozens of vulnerabilities and bugs were covered by a total of six downloads for Mac OS 10.3.9 (Panther), Mac OS 10.4.10 (Tiger) on PowerPC, and the Universal version of Mac OS 10.4.10, as well as the server versions of each of those operating systems. Each download contains several patches to correct flaws, and Apple is recommending that all users of those operating systems download the updates.

Also, a class action lawsuit has been filed against Apple over the fact that Apple wasn't sufficiently clear as to whether a user could replace a battery. With soft sales figures for the iPhone, these issues have to be taking their toll on Apple resulting in the stock falling since the iPhone's release.

Over and Out

Hack a Mac To Own A ProBook and $10,000 USD

I am always up for a good ripping of Apple.

According to their advertisements they are obviously the most secure OS in the world RIGHT????

In January two guys released 1 massive mac bug everyday for the entire month! This became known as the Month of Apple Bugs. Yes many were those critical types that you know, let people take control of your computer.

Then on April 18th a contest was announced by CanSecWest where hackers were told to try to break a Mac Probook with all updates and patches installed. They were given 3 days.

Obviously, it made sense that Apple would release a set of 25 security patches to fix vulnerabilities found in OS X in January on April 19th, one day before the competition began. If they didn't, I'm sure both PC's would have been exploited within the early morning hours on the 20th (say between 12:01AM and 12:10AM Pacific Time both awards would have been given away). OK, it took hackers a day to find new bugs.

First thing day 2 a Safari bug was exploited: the first box required a flaw that allows the attacker to get a shell with user level privilages. The second box, still up for grabs, requires the same, plus the attacker needs to get root.

This hole was a zero day threat. Zero-day attacks can be considered extremely dangerous because they take advantage of computer security holes for which no solution is currently available.

The other box up for grabs has not yet been comprimised, it requires the hacker access the root and I suspect if the hack is zero day, it will not be announced until Apple comes up with a fix.

Over and Out