Vista Hacked At Black Hat

6 Aug, 2006 at 1:00pm ET Article published in Tech

Perfect security measures are impossible to achieve, but let’s hope the final release of Vista is a little closer to the mark.

While Microsoft talked up Windows Vista security at Black Hat, a researcher in another room demonstrated how to hack the operating system.

Joanna Rutkowska, a Polish researcher at Singapore-based Coseinc, showed that it is possible to bypass security measures in Vista that should prevent unsigned code from running.

And in a second part of her talk, Rutkowska explained how it is possible to use virtualization technology to make malicious code undetectable, in the same way a rootkit does. She code-named this malicious software Blue Pill.

MS: Buy Vista for the security

Source: ZDNet

Comments

6 Aug 2006 ~ 1:02pm Kwitko Before the Windows bashers defile this thread, I would like to stress that no operating system is 100% safe. Millions of lines of code and you're bound to miss something somewhere.
6 Aug 2006 ~ 1:33pm profdlp

KwitCo™ wrote:

...I would like to stress that no operating system is 100% safe...

If it can be invented by the mind of man, it can be figured out by the mind of man.

Unless that man is General Keebler.
6 Aug 2006 ~ 2:08pm Thrax "...And in a last Alliance of Men, and Elves..."

Er, sorry.
6 Aug 2006 ~ 3:15pm Leonardo It should also be noted that Microsoft actually paid a sponsorship fee at this year's Blackhat convention. There were a couple MS corporate types there who formally invited convention attendees to test Vista and do their best to break in. I think that is good thinking.

Oh yes, BTW, at the same convention OS-X was hacked into also. (Sorry for the generic terminology. I don't remember the details.)
6 Aug 2006 ~ 3:32pm RWB

KwitCo™ wrote:

Before the Windows bashers defile this thread, I would like to stress that no operating system is 100% safe. Millions of lines of code and you're bound to miss something somewhere.

Not to mention this is still a beta product...
8 Aug 2006 ~ 3:57am CyrixInstead Wow this has turned into the "let's forgive Microsoft" thread!

~Cyrix
8 Aug 2006 ~ 10:48am WuGgaRoO hey they have bumbleded before and they will bumble again..need i remind u of one of the first win98 runs where the blue screen of death came up...
8 Aug 2006 ~ 11:13am airbornflght I was surprised M$ went to blackhat, though it is a good idea, cause the best people in the world are there.
9 Aug 2006 ~ 2:39pm GrayFox

Leonardo wrote:

It should also be noted that Microsoft actually paid a sponsorship fee at this year's Blackhat convention. There were a couple MS corporate types there who formally invited convention attendees to test Vista and do their best to break in. I think that is good thinking.

Oh yes, BTW, at the same convention OS-X was hacked into also. (Sorry for the generic terminology. I don't remember the details.)

The wi-fi driver was exploited nothing new there.
9 Aug 2006 ~ 2:44pm Thrax No, it was something new. It's the first time someone has been able to successfully launch an attack at a PC via a wireless device without even having to contend with WEP, WPA or MAC filtering.