This guy could blow up your MacBook

[MonetBass]

Hacker can shut down Apple MacBook battery - CNN.com
The most interesting part of the interview:

Originally Posted by Charlie Miller

You target Apple products primarily. Tell me why you've chosen to do that?
That's a good question. I started this gig four years ago -- and so back then the Apple products were way easier to break into than, say, Windows.

Really?
Yeah, they were very far behind in security.

That goes against the common perception.
Yeah, I know. People thought they were secure when they weren't. And when I told people that, no one would believe me.

So the reason I started is it was easy. But since then, with (OS X) Lion coming out, it's caught up. Now it's not any easier anymore. I either have to find something else that's easier to work on -- or whatever.

Do you like Apple products?
Yeah, I have an iPhone in my pocket right now. That's another reason. If I use it, I want it to be secure. I don't want Steve Jobs having a commercial saying it's secure -- I want it to actually be secure. That's my job to figure out what's secure and what's not.

Currently, do you think Apple products are more secure than their counterparts?
(Apple) iOS is definitely more secure than Android. Lion is basically comparable to Windows 7. You can nitpick on those two, but they're basically both really good.

Android is lacking a couple of features that iOS has, so it's behind.

[MatticusMania]

He tried installing the MacBook Wheel?

[Absentia]

%$^&ing LIAR!
guy probably couldn't write a hello werld program in basic.

[jabsys]

Originally Posted by Absentia

%$^&ing LIAR!
guy probably couldn't write a hello werld program in basic.

I hope that's a joke?

[Jimbob Jones]

Originally Posted by jabsys

I hope that's a joke?

Either that, or a nerve may just have been touched...

[MJ5150]

Poor Charlie has loser written all over his face and his 1980's Don Johnson Italian sport coat.

-Mike

[LiquidMidnight]

Oh noes! What are all of the smug Mac elitists gonna say now when they remind the world that Macs are less vulnerable to attacks?!

...and what are you talking about Mike? That guy looks pimp.

[fdeck]

I skimmed the white paper. What the author describes seems plausible. However, malware to reprogram an Apple battery would have to somehow get itself onto the host computer, and a Mac should be reasonably immune. It's not like the battery is running Outlook Express.

Because the Mac has to be involved, I suspect that Apple could update the OS to make this portion of the hardware functionality difficult or impossible to hack.

But as my skeptical neighbor asked me: "Did you look it up on Snopes?"

[GeneralElectric]

Don't you guys remember a few years back when they had a hacking speed contest? It was Mac OS, Vista, and Linux. Vista took 2 days, Linux remained unbeaten.

Charlie Miller, the guy mentioned in the CNN article in the OP, hacked Mac OS in two minutes.

Vista, MacBook Out--Only Linux Left in Hacking Contest | PCWorld

[SLaPiNFuNK]

This mac battery thing was on engadget a few weeks back...

I

[ADbassman]

I don't often take advice from people wearing t-shirts with sport coats.