I recently blogged a story claiming that a hacker conquered MAC OS X in 30 minutes. It appears there is more to the story than was covered in the original article.
Schroeder is so sure of the Mac’s security if setup properly that he is having his own security challenge. According to his Web site, the challenge is as follows: simply alter the web page on this machine, test.doit.wisc.edu. The machine is a Mac mini (PowerPC) running Mac OS X 10.4.5 with Security Update 2006-001, has two local accounts, and has ssh and http open—a lot more than most Mac OS X machines will ever have open. E-mail das@doit.wisc.edu if you feel you have met the requirements, along with the mechanism used. The mechanism will then be reported to Apple and/or the entities responsible for the component(s). Going after other hosts/devices on the network is out of bounds.
Go see if you can crack Schroeder’s machine! I still recommend encrypting any hard drives that have any information on them you don’t want to share with the entire world. Not encrypting your hard drive is like leaving your front door unlocked. At some point, someone is likely to walk in and go through your lingerie drawer.