There's A Way For Hackers To Attack Your MacBook's Battery And Make It Explode
A hacker has discovered a vulnerability in MacBooks that can potentially allow others to gain control of battery, making it so they can keep it from charging or even explode.
The hacking method was discovered by a man named Charlie Miller, who told Forbes the MacBook's "smart" battery have the same default password.
If you know that password, you can control the battery.
A little background on MacBook batteries:
Since they're built in to every MacBook and can't be removed, Apple programmed them to only charge when needed. This helps extend the overall capacity and life of your MacBook's battery.
But Miller's hack could potentially allow a malicious user to control the battery, causing it to refuse to charge, heat up until it explodes, or run malware that infects your entire system.
Fortunately, Miller is working on a fix that should be ready next month.
Steve Kovach
The hacking method was discovered by a man named Charlie Miller, who told Forbes the MacBook's "smart" battery have the same default password.
If you know that password, you can control the battery.
A little background on MacBook batteries:
Since they're built in to every MacBook and can't be removed, Apple programmed them to only charge when needed. This helps extend the overall capacity and life of your MacBook's battery.
But Miller's hack could potentially allow a malicious user to control the battery, causing it to refuse to charge, heat up until it explodes, or run malware that infects your entire system.
Fortunately, Miller is working on a fix that should be ready next month.
Steve Kovach