on 4 September 2009First it was computers, then mobile phones. Now hackers have found a way to compromise keyboards. What’s going to be the next cyber-security threat? Biscuits?
The vulnerability was announced at a hackers’ conference, the kind of event you imagine being organised by the Penguin to attract the attention of Batman. It relies on hijacking the updating of the Mac keyboard’s firmware. This will come as a shock to anyone who’d never suspected a bunch of on/off switches needed updates. A modern Apple keyboard, we’re told, has 8K of flash memory and 256 bytes of ‘working RAM’. Working on what, exactly? Its forehand? A cocktail called ‘Grounds for Divorce’? A doctoral thesis on the signification of pressedness?
Fortunately, keyboard hacking may soon disappear, along with keyboards. It’s already possible to type without a keyboard on an iPhone, if you have narrow fingers and what you want to say is largely predictable, so Mischa Barton is sorted. continue reading at www.macuser.co.uk
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