A Greek hacker claims that he has found a way to generate free boarding passes that bypass airport security for any flight departing from a European airport using Apple’s virtual wallet app, Passbook. According to iTNews, 18-year-old Andrew Hariton plans to open up about the exploit in a presentation at the upcoming Hack in the Box security convention in Amsterdam on May 29.
“A computer and a smartphone is all that’s required for a method that puts to the test both physical and digital security,” Hariton writes in his Hack in the Box presentation abstract. “We will be using tools available to everyone to forge passes and look into methods of getting in the Security Restricted Area and even more importantly into the flight we desire.”
The alleged exploit lets users bypass the security protocols of ticket scanners used by airport staff before passengers board a flight. Normally those scanners check each boarding pass against the list of registered fliers. According to Hariton, however, the “malfunctioning” scanner software for EU airports does not have “direct access to the airliner database.”
Once he found a way in, Hariton said he could create boarding passes using Java and CSS in a web browser, which he could add to Passbook using the same interface developers use to send coupons and tickets to the app.
Hariton would not confirm or deny whether he has tested the exploit himself, though we’re willing to bet that he hasn’t, considering that an attempt to board a flight using a false ticket would likely result in his arrest.
Mozilla is giving Firefox’s Smart Window two new tricks. If you haven’t tried it yet, Smart Window is an optional AI mode in Firefox with a built-in chat that helps you get things done while you browse. With this update, it can fill out online forms using details from your tabs and keep an eye on websites for you.
Tired of typing the same details into every form?
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.