I don't know how many of you have seen this paper, which outlines a serious vulnerability in the x86 implementation of OpenBSD, although the paper concludes that all UNIX/Linux variants are at risk. It involves using hardware operation modes to bypass UNIX's layered security and can allow attackers root access to the OS.
I was wondering whether anyone here had taken a serious look at the exploit and analysed whether the Intel implementation of OSX is vulnerable. Firstly, do the Core Duo etc. processors still have the System Management Mode functionality required by the exploit code, and secondly does the presence of the EFI instead of BIOS in Macs result in a better degree of protection?
I was wondering whether anyone here had taken a serious look at the exploit and analysed whether the Intel implementation of OSX is vulnerable. Firstly, do the Core Duo etc. processors still have the System Management Mode functionality required by the exploit code, and secondly does the presence of the EFI instead of BIOS in Macs result in a better degree of protection?