Tech

‘Poison Tap' Hijacks User Data From Screen-Locked Macs

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Alongside technology advancements, new gadgets and devices are becoming more vulnerable to hacking. Have you heard the latest news about the USB device that could siphon data even from a screen-locked MacBook?

MacBook users were cautioned about "Poison Tap," a USB device that can be easily plugged into an unattended Mac and poof the website's cookie data can be stolen right away even if the Mac is password locked.

Once the "poison tap" is connected to a password-protected device, it will pose as a standard internet connection so it can hijack the web traffic. Then, it collects and stores the users HTTP cookies.

These HTTP cookies can be used by the attacker to login to the user's visited websites without asking them to enter the username and password. So easy to stole information right?

No single device is exempted from vulnerability nowadays so better practice caution than feel sorry later. Anyone can be a victim of a hijacking. Just don't let anyone stole anything from you.

According to Rik Ferguson, Trend Micro security researcher, the "poison tap" is a big threat especially to those device users who most of the time leaves their computers unattended.

Microsoft also said that the best defense anyone can do is to avoid leaving their laptops or computers unattended, Tech Crunch reported.

Mr. Ferguson added, that even if the browser is not being used, updates or ads are still making a request and are communicating so if the "poison tap" is connected or plugged in, it will then exploit that communication and will steal the session cookies from the top one million websites, MacRumors reported.

The USB port connector hacking device costs only a shy amount of $5 to make anyone a hijacker pro. The device is running on Raspberry Pi Zero, Tech Crunch reported.

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