Apple MacBook laptop batteries susceptible to hack attacks

laptop battery serviceNow that Apple has endowed the Mac operating system with state-of-the-art security protections, a researcher has devised new attacks that target the machine’s battery.

Charlie Miller, well known for his numerous attacks on iPhones and Macs, may not have achieved his ultimate objective of making a Mac spontaneously combust, but he has figured out how to permanently disable the battery. And in time, he said, it also may be possible to remotely hijack a machine by manipulating the firmware on one of the stored power supply’s chips.

“What I found was you can make any change you want to the software that runs on the laptop battery,” Miller, who is principal research consultant at security firm Accuvant and the other coauthor of The Mac Hacker’s Handbook, told The Reg. “I also saw that you can mess up the chip so it won’t function anymore. You can’t recover from that. You couldn’t even take it to the genius bar.”

The flaw making all of this possible is the result of Apple’s decision to ship MacBook batteries without changing the passwords needed to run updates or make low-level changes to their embedded controllers. By reverse-engineering past updates, he had no trouble deducing the pass codes.

Apple a1185 laptop battery

discount laptop battery
cheap laptop battery
Availability: Usually ships within 1 working day

Apple a1185 battery
Battery Type: Li-ion
Battery Voltage: 10.8V
Battery Capacity: 5500mAh
Battery Color: White
Battery Condition: Brand new
List Price: AU $ 103.02
Promotion Price: AU $ 72.32 (Including GST)


Brand new, fast delivery, high quality and Secure Shopping Guarantee. Buy now save up 30%

With these, Miller was able to make changes to the battery firmware that bricked the Apple a1175 battery. The hack doesn’t sound all that interesting until you consider that any changes will survive a complete reinstallation of the MacBook’s operating system. Miller theorized that if there’s a way to cause the firmware to exploit a vulnerability in Mac OS X, his laptop battery pack hack could open the door to system compromises that persist even after disinfection of reinstallation.

Miller will be presenting his findings at next month’s Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas. At his talk, he will also release a software tool that patches the vulnerability by changing the default passwords that ship with 15 inch macbook pro battery.

Laptop Battery Usage Tips Related Articles:

Professional Battery Knowledge Tips & FAQ

How to Find Laptop Battery, Camera Battery Coupons

How To Make Dell Laptop Batteries For An Optimal Runtime

Laptop battery and laptop ac adapter issues troubleshooting tips

How to get the most out of your Lenovo ThinkPad Battery

Useful laptop batteries troubleshooting tips

Properly Laptop Batteries Care Tips

How to Use and Maintenance of Your Laptop Batteries

15 Ultimate Tips to Improve Your Laptop Battery Life