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Control your Mac with an e-mail
tuaw.com — See how you can send a single remote e-mail to turn off your Mac.
corybohon- 1151 diggs
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- girlscout, on 04/08/2008, -9/+26I really wish the people who claim this is a security risk would explain how they would exploit it.
More ways to control your Mac by email:
http://murphymac.com/retrieve-a-remote-file-by-ema ...- pyrates, on 04/08/2008, -15/+4This isn't about how it would be exploited. It's about the mechanism being there in the first place. After all, nothing is perfect. And when there's a will, there's a way.
- Xyc0, on 04/08/2008, -8/+2Same with attackers. Apple can step too far and it will be exploited.
- girlscout, on 04/08/2008, -3/+7I'm not sure what you mean, if you think this is some Apple thing. but you could do this same exact thing on Windows with Outlook (or other mail clients) and a batch file.
- billjjones, on 04/08/2008, -2/+8By pyrates reasoning ssh shouldn't be there either. It might be exploited. Part of implementing security is accessing risk. People who codemn methods like this post fail to access the risk. Is pyrates going to remove the network card and keyboard from his system? That would make it more secure.
- pyrates, on 04/08/2008, -1/+1The built in ssh server is blocked by the nat router that the computer would be behind. Hence you can't easily get to it and yes there has been security problems with ssh in the past, that are now fixed. But any computer that is meant to be a workstation and not a server should not have something like this exposed that is remotely accessible from the internet.
Instead I would recommend setting up a vpn server on your network so that everything is encrypted and secure and then you can access the files on your computer or have it shut down remotely. That is a much more secure method. An easy to use solution is the gotopc for windows and the Back To My Mac for os x. And I'd recommend that over using this any day. Remember email is sent in the open, so someone could be watching the email as it goes by and see how you make your command valid.- KibibyteBrain, on 04/09/2008, -0/+1So you are saying that workstations should not receive email/run an email client? Give me a break, thats just as "exposed". This could even use symmetric key encryption/email crypto with signing or something and then it would be even more secure than running a service that could buffer overflow more easily or be ddosed into a weird state or something.
The main security concerns I have with this, that I believe are real, is the text/email parser this uses rock solid security wise. IE can I not give it an email to read that could cause a buffer overflow or some sort of injection attack. Thats my concern. Anyone thinking that the method is insecure doesn't know what he is talking about, however. Also this breed of security vulnerability is common to any application that reads untrusted data from a buffer, and is not specific to this at all. - pyrates, on 04/09/2008, -1/+1I never said that workstations should not receive/run an email client. I said that remote control capabilities such as this should not be built into the email client. There is no reason to since you cannot easily secure it. And there are better ways to do what you want then to enable it into your email client. This to me just smacks of stupidity and the only reason it is being defended is because it's a feature that can be enabled on os x.
- KibibyteBrain, on 04/09/2008, -0/+1So you are saying that workstations should not receive email/run an email client? Give me a break, thats just as "exposed". This could even use symmetric key encryption/email crypto with signing or something and then it would be even more secure than running a service that could buffer overflow more easily or be ddosed into a weird state or something.
- pyrates, on 04/08/2008, -1/+1The built in ssh server is blocked by the nat router that the computer would be behind. Hence you can't easily get to it and yes there has been security problems with ssh in the past, that are now fixed. But any computer that is meant to be a workstation and not a server should not have something like this exposed that is remotely accessible from the internet.
- Xyc0, on 04/08/2008, -8/+2Same with attackers. Apple can step too far and it will be exploited.
- rookie, on 04/08/2008, -4/+6When you send an email YOU specify who it is from and if you use an smtp server that will let you(like if you set your own up) it will have no problem sending it. A fun thing that some spammers do is send mail to you, from you hoping that you are whitelisted from/to yourself or have some lame spam software. As long as you have a good antispam system it should catch all of these before they even hit the inbox. So it is possible and even very easy to do but will most likely only get though if you set up your own mail server without a spam filter. All of the main webmail providers should take care of this no problem.
As easy as typing. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=safari&r ...- RevoFM, on 04/14/2008, -0/+1Not safari!!!
- rookie, on 04/08/2008, -4/+3Oh yeah and once I had trouble getting a legitimate email though from a NAS (for heat/free space/disk error warnings). Gmail would completely ignore it, they wouldn't even let it get into my spam folder probably because it was a completely spoofed email address.
But I was lazy and didn't want to set up the whole thing so I got it working by sending to an address that was forwarded to that gmail account.
Set up an unauthorized forwarder and it might even get through the spam filters. Easy fix would be to make sure and set in the rules that the only to: is for that address. Enjoy !
I do like the concept though, I think I might have to set up a couple scripts for my use. - girlscout, on 04/08/2008, -6/+19Anyone who is worried about this is overly paranoid.
1. It can be exploited if you tell someone about it. But then so can anything if you TELL someone your PASSWORD.
2. You set the rule in Mail to use a keyword, which in effect is a password. You don't tell anyone the password.
3. You use secure email, like Gmail.
4. Everyone is saying use the sender as the security. wrong. use a keyword in the subject or body. that becomes the password.
I defy you to tell me how you would know there is an applescript waiting to run on a system just by seeing an email that has been sent to it. With secure email you won't even see the email. This is totally secure. Let's have some details on the danger. You're way off on this.- godofpumpkins, on 04/08/2008, -3/+7I agree that you have to know about it. But given the default instructions on TUAW don't have any kind of authentication mechanism in them, and people who read tuaw might follow the instructions blindly. For example, I was able to pick a positive comment to that story, and by looking at their profile and googling, find their email address. Then all I would've needed to do was forge the from address on an email with those words in it to say it was from their email address (in case they felt they were securing it that way) and I could've played a prank.
So yeah, if you know what you're doing, you can obviously do this right, but as it's presented, it's highly insecure and begging for some prankster to go crazy with it. Especially if this makes it to the front page and loads of people say "whoa this is cool, works fine!"
In a sentence, though, I'd say I have a fairly decent likelihood of hitting an applescript waiting to run on a system, if I pick my targets from a demographic that's likely to have read this article.- girlscout, on 04/08/2008, -2/+5Well, I don't think I'm going to agree with you, but at least you thought about your answer which is more than can be said for the majority of this discussion!
And truly, if anyone is dumb enough to follow the directions verbatim and not set a keyword that's unlikely to be guessed they deserve what they get.
I don't think the FROM address is any kind of security. But a keyword used with an encrypted email protocol is quite secure. - sinembarg0, on 04/08/2008, -3/+1But why couldn't you set a rule so it only shuts down when you send an email from a specific address? Then it'd be quite hard to break.
- WiseWeasel, on 04/08/2008, -0/+6Because 'from' addresses can easily be forged. Cryptic keywords in the message body are the way to go to avoid false positives.
- girlscout, on 04/08/2008, -2/+5Well, I don't think I'm going to agree with you, but at least you thought about your answer which is more than can be said for the majority of this discussion!
- thebigbradwolf, on 04/08/2008, -0/+7Sure, if e-mail was encrypted...unless you're counting on security through obscurity.
- TnTBass, on 04/08/2008, -2/+4You're right. Not so much a security risk if you use a lot of precautions when you set up the triggers for the email.
However, if my buddy so much as mentioned he set this up, I would be emailing him all the time trying to set it off. Spoofing his email, trying keywords, etc. Sooner or later he would either get annoyed by the constant SPAM and turn it off, or I would be shutting down his system all the time.
Heaven forbid I borrow his machine and he turns his back for a second so I can figure out those triggers.
Not so much an easily exploited security flaw, but a hell of a fun prank.- thebigbradwolf, on 04/08/2008, -0/+0why not just, set it up FOR your buddy;-)...such a great friend.
- godofpumpkins, on 04/08/2008, -3/+7I agree that you have to know about it. But given the default instructions on TUAW don't have any kind of authentication mechanism in them, and people who read tuaw might follow the instructions blindly. For example, I was able to pick a positive comment to that story, and by looking at their profile and googling, find their email address. Then all I would've needed to do was forge the from address on an email with those words in it to say it was from their email address (in case they felt they were securing it that way) and I could've played a prank.
- cawpin, on 04/08/2008, -0/+6http://digg.com/apple/Forget_to_Turn_off_Your_Mac_ ...
This is a link to the site that girlscout commented on. Stop submitting dupes, people. - webbles, on 04/08/2008, -4/+3How this is vulnerable:
(1) MITM still applies (breaks your simple obscurity and even your "secure" mail)...
(2) If there is a buffer overrun, could allow native code execution.
(3) You are examining these vulnerabilities from a very limited scope. While it is true that you most likely won't be hacked at random (unless some random spam message is sent happening to contain your script's keyword), this allows for someone potentially close to you a way to DoS you.
And a better way to secure it is to send the message encrypted using your private key, and have the receiving end decrypt it using your public key.
That way you can pretty much guarantee that it will be YOU sending the email and not anyone else, and also that the message arrives intact and untampered (and you also don't really need to rely on an encrypted email service).
Oh and never ever say again that something is "totally secure", you show your ignorance when you say something like that.- lizlemon, on 04/08/2008, -2/+1I think she meant 'totally' in a valley girl kind of way. Obviously we all know nothing is totally secure. But, "webbles" , I don't think your comments assess the actual risk of being hacked here very well. And that's a big part of any security implementation, the assessment of risk.
so many people obsess about all the wrong things with security. it sounds like you're one of them.- webbles, on 04/08/2008, -0/+2I didn't assess the risks at all. I merely pointed some risks out. I don't have nearly as many facts as I would like to do a proper assessment of the risk, plus I don't own a mac.
With that being said, a cursory glance at the facts would suggest that there is little risk outside of the people that know already about what is going on, but that doesn't make this any more "secure", but even these risks can be mitigated (with the solution that I posted).
"so many people obsess about all the wrong things with security. it sound like you're one of them."
Thanks for assuming and for adding positive value to the conversation.
- webbles, on 04/08/2008, -0/+2I didn't assess the risks at all. I merely pointed some risks out. I don't have nearly as many facts as I would like to do a proper assessment of the risk, plus I don't own a mac.
- lizlemon, on 04/08/2008, -2/+1I think she meant 'totally' in a valley girl kind of way. Obviously we all know nothing is totally secure. But, "webbles" , I don't think your comments assess the actual risk of being hacked here very well. And that's a big part of any security implementation, the assessment of risk.
- jabberwolf, on 04/08/2008, -2/+5Allowing scripts from ANY email automatically is simply STUPID and you can easily get by spam by spoofing the identity of email. No big whoop there. spam filters aren't quite that good. You either have to set it to a lower setting and allow email to yourself, or if you set it too high, you will catch legitimate email as well as spam.
- pyrates, on 04/08/2008, -15/+4This isn't about how it would be exploited. It's about the mechanism being there in the first place. After all, nothing is perfect. And when there's a will, there's a way.
- girlscout, on 04/08/2008, -8/+10If you want to do this in Windows click here.
http://tech.shantanugoel.com/projects/windows/remo ...- tugger, on 04/08/2008, -9/+3shut down vista crapfest..
http://moishelettvin.blogspot.com/2006/11/windows- ... - Tikisam, on 04/11/2008, -1/+2burried because windows sucks... no offense girlscout your comment was completely valid
- tugger, on 04/08/2008, -9/+3shut down vista crapfest..
- MrViklund, on 04/08/2008, -8/+3So 1999 :)
- Tyr7BE, on 04/08/2008, -2/+11999? More like 1979. It's as old as MTUs and regular expressions.
- oakj423, on 04/08/2008, -6/+11this will be great for all those times i need to turn off my computer when i'm gone (sarcasm)
- WiseWeasel, on 04/08/2008, -0/+3You could always play some fun pranks by setting this up on a "friend's" computer...
Why do you keep sending me emails with the word "hotdog" in them? Damnit, my computer shut off again! - insertAliasHere, on 04/08/2008, -0/+2Well, there are a few times that that might be nice (if not necessary.) But what you're missing is that you can do this with anything you can script. Just because I can't think of anything off the top of my head doesn't mean that I'll never want to script anything and remotely trigger it.
- WiseWeasel, on 04/08/2008, -0/+3You could always play some fun pranks by setting this up on a "friend's" computer...
- DeviousEgg, on 04/08/2008, -6/+109Billy: Hey Mom, could I please post a comment on Digg?
Mom: Of course not Billy dear, THERE WAS A PROBLEM COMPLETING YOU REQUEST PLEASE RELOAD THE PAGE AND TRY AGAIN.
Billy: Mom, you're talking all funny, may I know what's wrong?
Mom: You can't darling, because THERE WAS A PROBLEM COMPLETING YOU REQUEST PLEASE RELOAD THE PAGE AND TRY AGAIN.- KevinRoseMustDy, on 04/08/2008, -1/+13I love you.
- wild, on 04/08/2008, -3/+12I love your mom.
- GothAlice, on 04/08/2008, -6/+2I love Billy's mom's son. ¬_¬ I'll go sit over ther.
- aspade, on 04/08/2008, -0/+2What is wrong with these people???
- avatarpalin, on 04/09/2008, -0/+1This is so odd!!
Lovely
- built2spill, on 04/08/2008, -2/+41My PC gets controlled by email all the time!
- Cerialthriller, on 04/08/2008, -23/+12ooh now i definately want to throw $1800 down the toilet for a Mac!
- UGM2099, on 04/08/2008, -15/+11if buying a Mac is throwing money down the toilet buying a PC is shoving the money up your ass and lighting it on fire.
- oldhick, on 04/08/2008, -4/+21Fanboy war!!!! Woo hoo... *cough* hooo.... *cough* hooo.. alright, i'm tired of your stupid fan boy wars! One of you likes the mac, one of you likes the PC. As long as you're happy, good.
- bradleyland, on 04/08/2008, -5/+4Generally I'd agree with you, but this was one of the better exchanges I've seen in a while. I mean, who wouldn't laugh at the thought of someone with a set of flaming Benjamins coming out of their ass.
- cerejota, on 04/08/2008, -4/+1@bradleyland: EPIC!
- oldhick, on 04/08/2008, -4/+21Fanboy war!!!! Woo hoo... *cough* hooo.... *cough* hooo.. alright, i'm tired of your stupid fan boy wars! One of you likes the mac, one of you likes the PC. As long as you're happy, good.
- IllBeBack, on 04/08/2008, -2/+8Perhaps it would be money spent better if you used that $1,800 on some elementary school education to learn how to properly capitalize your sentences and spell the word "definitely" correctly.
- benhollister, on 04/08/2008, -3/+0You'd rather buy an $1800 eMachine?
- palynp, on 04/08/2008, -2/+0oooooooooooooo... now let the mac fans bash you back... HA!
I'm a mac fan... YOU SUCK. Best 3g's I've ever spent (on a computer, that is)- tcpip4lyfe, on 04/08/2008, -0/+1Mac's really don't cost 3 grand do they?
- UGM2099, on 04/08/2008, -15/+11if buying a Mac is throwing money down the toilet buying a PC is shoving the money up your ass and lighting it on fire.
- sagat, on 04/08/2008, -23/+3WHERE DID MY ***** COMMENT GO.... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
MOTHER ***** DIGG ***** ***** *****!- BeatPunchbeef, on 04/08/2008, -2/+1Tiger Uppercut
- sagat, on 04/08/2008, -3/+6You mean Tiger Uppercunt!
- wellyuk, on 04/08/2008, -0/+2BOB SAGAT!
- BeatPunchbeef, on 04/08/2008, -2/+1Tiger Uppercut
- sagat, on 04/08/2008, -21/+3*****!
- protodon, on 04/08/2008, -2/+6Maui Wowie!!! Now I can shut my computer off from bed! Yes!! Lazy prevails once again!
- girlscout, on 04/08/2008, -2/+3A guy who pushed this kind of thing a long time ago is in a wheel chair. I remember him saying it would take him 40 minutes to get out of bed and get to the computer. But you're probably right....
- Tyr7BE, on 04/08/2008, -2/+2...with the help of another computer :)
- billjjones, on 04/08/2008, -0/+5Actually, from a phone. this IS 2008...
- Tyr7BE, on 04/08/2008, -0/+3What do you think a phone is? It's a processor with a bunch of peripherals - ie, a computer.
- billjjones, on 04/08/2008, -0/+5Actually, from a phone. this IS 2008...
- Testiculese, on 04/08/2008, -20/+8Wierd, this has been available for at least 15 years now on real computers...Is this Apple being 'innovative' and 'hip' again? I'd like the company if they weren't such blatant liars and completely full of ***** ALL THE TIME.
The funny thing is, AppleScript is ripe for the same abuse that Windows got...let's hear what the pompous ***** have to say when their machine gets hit by the same growing pains.- Tyr7BE, on 04/08/2008, -9/+4Why are you getting dugg down? This has existed on Windows since VB script, and Unix since email itself was born. Apple catches up 25 years later and the unwashed masses all ooh and aaah in amazement.
- caerwyn, on 04/08/2008, -2/+6Applescript predates VB script.
- cerejota, on 04/08/2008, -2/+3FTW!
I earned money doing AppleScripts (complex integration between Quark and Filemaker) in 1990s.
Fanboys suck, including apple's!- Testiculese, on 04/11/2008, -0/+1I'm not a fanboy, I just hate Apple for putting a friendly face on their products, and being complete facists about everything they 'allow' their users to do. I hate the users because they buy products that are obsolete before they're released, pay hundreds more than anyone else, yet they tout them as the best thing in the world, when they are clearly the worst. iPhone is a textbook example. When it came out, and to this day, it doesn't have even half the features that my HTC phone has, and it was 2 years old when the iPhone came out. It can't even Copy/Paste! Yet these complete idiots are braying how 'innovative' and 'miraculous' the iPhone is, when the world outside of Apple just looks and laughs. The phone is a joke. It has excellent graphics, the UI is quite nice (Apple always has been a generation ahead in UI design) but usability is absolute trash unless all you do is YouTube and a few websites.
Microsoft may suck in a lot of ways, but I can do anything I want to my OS, I can install anything I want without PERSONAL approval from Gates. I can ***** it up in any way I choose. The iPhone is a textbook example of a corporate dictatorship. What? You want to make your own ringtone of your own song that you wrote? Nope. Not allowed. Mr. Jobs says so. I have three background applications running on my phone for various reasons. Mr. Gates doesn't actively deny me this behaviour. Mr. Jobs does. It's not your iPhone, it's HIS. That is utter *****.
Applescript predates VBscript, I know, I used to work with it, in a much smaller capacity that you did, but it hasn't had much use outside the biz world until it finally got beefed up for consumer use. Now that it has finally caught up, it will be exploited by the malignant people out there. And when it does, and people's Macs start having the same problems as Windows PC's were having (and still having, I'm sure) I'm going to have a well deserved laugh. Not because people are going to lose their college thesis, but because they are the people that have held their noses in the air so long, without good reason.
- Testiculese, on 04/11/2008, -0/+1I'm not a fanboy, I just hate Apple for putting a friendly face on their products, and being complete facists about everything they 'allow' their users to do. I hate the users because they buy products that are obsolete before they're released, pay hundreds more than anyone else, yet they tout them as the best thing in the world, when they are clearly the worst. iPhone is a textbook example. When it came out, and to this day, it doesn't have even half the features that my HTC phone has, and it was 2 years old when the iPhone came out. It can't even Copy/Paste! Yet these complete idiots are braying how 'innovative' and 'miraculous' the iPhone is, when the world outside of Apple just looks and laughs. The phone is a joke. It has excellent graphics, the UI is quite nice (Apple always has been a generation ahead in UI design) but usability is absolute trash unless all you do is YouTube and a few websites.
- Tyr7BE, on 04/08/2008, -3/+3Did not know that. Makes sense though.
Unix point still stands - this technology has been in existence a looooooooong time. - wellyuk, on 04/08/2008, -1/+2@Tyr7BE:
No one and nothing in the article claimed otherwise. So what's your ***** point?
- cerejota, on 04/08/2008, -2/+3FTW!
- wellyuk, on 04/08/2008, -2/+2He's getting dug down because he's an *****. Plain and simple. His comments had absolutely NO relation to the article in question.
- caerwyn, on 04/08/2008, -2/+6Applescript predates VB script.
- wellyuk, on 04/08/2008, -2/+6Can you point out where in the ***** article that the words "innovative", "apple made this", "for the first time ever" or similar were uttered?
That'll be nowhere. It's a ***** tip. It did not ***** claim to be the first ever method of shutting down a computer using email. It was a ***** tip. It did not claim to have come out of Apple's R+D lab. It was a ***** TIP! What the ***** is wrong with you? Beat off last night and didn't cum? - Gabberwok, on 04/22/2008, -0/+1This has been possible on a Mac for ages too... this is just an article showing you a way to do it.
- Tyr7BE, on 04/08/2008, -9/+4Why are you getting dugg down? This has existed on Windows since VB script, and Unix since email itself was born. Apple catches up 25 years later and the unwashed masses all ooh and aaah in amazement.
- venson, on 04/08/2008, -3/+24OK, sent email to corybohon@gmail.com with subject System Shutdown
- Kypt, on 04/08/2008, -1/+1Won't work, shut down has to be on the content of the email not on the subject :D
- subscriber, on 04/08/2008, -7/+12I think I just shut down Cory Bohon's Mac.
- BoneheadFarker, on 04/08/2008, -12/+0Oh god...Apple just opened the floodgates to new DOS attacks...
- gadys, on 04/08/2008, -2/+1any similar software for windows ?
- shantzg001, on 04/08/2008, -1/+2gadys, check this for windows
http://tech.shantanugoel.com/projects/windows/remo ... - jabberwolf, on 04/08/2008, -2/+1No one using windows, nor any administrator at a job site, would allow scripts to be run automatically from an email.
This advice is for Mactads only!
- shantzg001, on 04/08/2008, -1/+2gadys, check this for windows
- digitalpencil, on 04/08/2008, -4/+2Kinda cool.. i guess. Can't you just use ARD though?
- insertAliasHere, on 04/08/2008, -0/+3Or vnc, or ssh. But that's not the point. If you want to use a scripted action and you have nothing but an email client, this still works. Perfect if you have an email capable phone.
- digitalpencil, on 04/08/2008, -0/+3fair enough, can't really think of a time where i'd want to switch off my mac by email though.
- insertAliasHere, on 04/08/2008, -0/+3Or vnc, or ssh. But that's not the point. If you want to use a scripted action and you have nothing but an email client, this still works. Perfect if you have an email capable phone.
- xsquirrel378x, on 04/08/2008, -4/+3i hope someone can find an exploit for this out of spite for people saying you cant
- aydoubleyou, on 04/08/2008, -0/+3Ah, AppleScript. Brings back memories...
- geekmansworld, on 04/08/2008, -1/+19For those who find VNC, ARD, and SSH far too straightforward, here's a method that's way more convoluted!
- geekmansworld, on 04/08/2008, -6/+2Yes, and don't bother me about the problems created by dynamic IPs. It was a joke.
- holmenb, on 04/08/2008, -0/+1Hamachi. Problem solved
- geekmansworld, on 04/08/2008, -6/+2Yes, and don't bother me about the problems created by dynamic IPs. It was a joke.
- Bry4n, on 04/08/2008, -2/+1Now that's pretty cool, not often we see a machine being controlled by e-mail.
- MEMADDOG, on 04/08/2008, -2/+2So how do I remotely launch mail?
- redxxx, on 04/08/2008, -0/+3SSH
- WiseWeasel, on 04/08/2008, -0/+5Send a second email to your significant other/parent/roommate/etc. asking them to open your email app...
- motang, on 04/08/2008, -1/+8Kinda freaky, I could just see how my father would be sitting and surfing the web and I would send an email and the Mac would just shutdown on him...actually that would be awesome!
- thecoleorton, on 04/08/2008, -1/+3so i'm assuming i email everyone who dugg this story - and reboot their macbook? :D
- arizonagroove, on 04/08/2008, -0/+8"...single remote e-mail..."
As opposed to what, multiple local emails? - cohortq, on 04/08/2008, -8/+3Sounds kinda like a vulnerability if you implement this.
- lizlemon, on 04/08/2008, -4/+4You've got to be kidding. Read the first comments.
- Cryoniq, on 04/08/2008, -10/+4Seriously.. I did this and much more with my GNU/Linux Slakware box back in 1997. You think your come up with something cool and useful for yourself now applesauces?
- wellyuk, on 04/08/2008, -2/+5For ***** sake! It was a ***** TIP! Who cares what you did back in 1997. It was a useful tip for people who were unaware of this. Nowhere did it say "THIS HASN'T BEEN DONE BEFORE!". It was a ***** tip!
- noahhoward, on 04/08/2008, -1/+2It is amazing you were able to overcome your illiteracy and do something like that but you should still try to learn to read, it would make your life easier.
- steelclash84, on 04/08/2008, -3/+2Or...I could use logmein and do whatever I want.
- lizlemon, on 04/08/2008, -1/+2logmein is great. but the email way is better from your phone.
- ayeroxor, on 04/08/2008, -9/+3"Play MP3s"
"Be gay"
"Keep searching for Mac versions of popular titles" - j2002, on 04/08/2008, -9/+4surely this is a dangerous thing to do:
@girlscount
"I really wish the people who claim this is a security risk would explain how they would exploit it."
I don't have a mac but surely the steps would proceed something like this.
1) write malicous apple script
2) email it to loads of people hoping that one has this email hack enabled
3) email executes script causing carnage on computer- lizlemon, on 04/08/2008, -2/+5you don't understand what has been described here at all. this isn't about mailing scripts. there is no mention of mailing a script anywhere in any of this discussion. except for what you wrote.
- walshbj, on 04/08/2008, -4/+4j2002 - dude, what are you talking about? this isn't Windows.
- SSUK, on 04/08/2008, -4/+3Hell no, Windows lasted more than 2 minutes in PWN TO WIN.
- wellyuk, on 04/08/2008, -1/+2PWN TO OWN.
- SSUK, on 04/08/2008, -4/+3Hell no, Windows lasted more than 2 minutes in PWN TO WIN.
- palynp, on 04/08/2008, -2/+2hmmm.. I just wonder when something like this would actually come in handy.
- empraptor, on 04/08/2008, -4/+1lol I read the title and thought "email your Big Mac or McNuggets telling them to jump down your gullet"?
- Raydr, on 04/08/2008, -1/+12For some reason I can't get my Mac to turn on by email.
Help? - mariachi, on 04/08/2008, -0/+5What could possibly go wrong?
- uberfu, on 04/08/2008, -1/+3This is old_
But since Tuaw recently figured out their own method of doing this - it must be something new_ yay Tuaw! Not_ - uberfu, on 04/08/2008, -1/+1Another quick fix - without having to leave Mail open and running for the world to hack into - is activate the server features of OS X install Admin Tools and set it for a secured remote access_ there's a web interface and everything_
- uberfu, on 04/08/2008, -2/+2someone mentions this on Tuaw's site:
"byaah said...
That is a must. If anyone found out you had this set up, I can think of a few jokes they would try to pull."
It wouldn't take much more effort for someone to find out about it and make thing malicious by gaining access to your machine via an eMail_
Talk about showing a gaping back door into someone's system - thanks Tuaw_
+1 for the Crackers_ - ShiningSquirrel, on 04/08/2008, -1/+3You can do this with Outlook and a simple batch file.
I can send an e-mail to my corporate account that causes every single workstation in our company to reboot, then send another that automatically updates certain files on them.
It's absolutly endless what you can do with this. I control all of my scripts with keywords in the subject so I can send the commands from anywhere securly.
There is no real security hole unless your stupid enough to use something like "shut down" as the command in the e-mail to shut it down. For my setup, first you would have to spoof my sending e-mail address, and most important, you would need to know my cryptic keywords. - tcpip4lyfe, on 04/08/2008, -1/+1Do mac's have a Terminal services like program? Why wouldn't you just do that?
- flarn2006, on 04/08/2008, -1/+1If you receive a spam message, will it automatically buy the product online for you?
- BrendanSheehan, on 04/08/2008, -0/+3Old news: http://murphymac.com/slib/sleep-your-mac-by-email. ... Murphy Mac is the king of this stuff.
- MurphyMac, on 04/08/2008, -0/+1Thanks Brendan! More fun stuff with Mail.app and Applescript:
http://murphymac.com/fetch-new-mailapp-messages-fr ...- BrendanSheehan, on 04/08/2008, -0/+1Legend!
I fetch them on my iPhone using Mail.app ;)
- BrendanSheehan, on 04/08/2008, -0/+1Legend!
- MurphyMac, on 04/08/2008, -0/+1Thanks Brendan! More fun stuff with Mail.app and Applescript:
- supermanred, on 04/08/2008, -6/+2You dickweeds talking about how this is a "security risk" have no idea what a security risk is. If you are emailing your mac to turn it off (why you didnt just turn it off before leaving the house, only God knows) then that means you arent home.
One swift kick to your front door, and Im walking into your house and TAKING your Mac home where I will format it and install OS X fresh on it.
Voila, security my nuts. Pwned.- lizlemon, on 04/09/2008, -0/+1That's pretty funny. It really is. Go Superman.
- nutritionalfact, on 04/09/2008, -2/+1here's my favorite script:
property target_RickRoll : "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu_moia-oVI"
tell application "Firefox"
Get URL target_RickRoll
end tell - LOVEANDEQUALITY, on 04/09/2008, -0/+0neat!
- sh4rk, on 04/09/2008, -2/+2This is retarded, could somebody please tell when in the hell they would want to actually do this for good reason? Other than being a mac fanboy of course!
- jasonsalas, on 04/09/2008, -0/+1classic! it's a tad dated, but it gave rise to me writing a Python-based sockets server to remotely turn off my Windows box with my PSP.
- NedSlider, on 04/09/2008, -1/+1What happens if you didn't leave your mail running?
If you tried this on a PC, Windows would ask "Are you sure you really want to shutdown?" Oh, the irony...
/reminds me of voice activated commands and standing behind a work colleague and shouting SHUTDOWN. I expect you've all played that game in your office too.- ShiningSquirrel, on 04/10/2008, -0/+1No, it would not.
If you issue Windows the correct command it will shut down without any prompt, or you could have it prompt any logged in user that the computer would be shutting down in X seconds, or even change shutdown to reboot.
- ShiningSquirrel, on 04/10/2008, -0/+1No, it would not.
- k00pa, on 04/09/2008, -1/+2Everything is easier on mac, even scripting.
- heystoopid, on 04/09/2008, -3/+1Nice security flaw , Apple will have to revise those PC versus Mac adds !
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