Batteries MacBook is pretty “smart”, because each battery has its own chip with system software that provides the ability to quickly interact with the rest of the system. This is done in order to reliably monitor energy consumption and manage energy costs. However, a smart battery MacBook makes them more vulnerable to attacks.
At a conference on computer security Black Hat hacker Charlie Miller, specializing in hacking Apple devices, demonstrated the method of obtaining remote access to the batteries MacBook. The hacker was able to gain unauthorized access to the firmware of the controller battery Texas Intruments thanks to the standard factory password that wasn’t replaced when reassembling the laptop. This allowed him to withdraw the battery from the system.
The only good news in this scenario is that a hacker could not produce fire or explosion of the battery by overheating, although it is theoretically possible, Miller says. Has often happened that the attackers introduce malicious code in the firmware of motherboard, different controllers, and other devices. In this case, the battery in the MacBook is integrated into the system, so changing it in case of failure is problematic.
Leading expert at Positive Technologies’m sure the MacBook can not worry. “Malware that is created exclusively from hooligan promptings, and to which are destructive action Mac almost common today,” he said.