Charlie Miller (security researcher)
Encyclopedia
Charles Miller is a computer security researcher with the consulting firm Accuvant LABShttp://www.accuvant.com.
Prior to his current employment, he spent five years working for the National Security Agency
. Miller demonstrated his hacks publicly on products manufactured by Apple
. In 2008 he won a $10,000 cash prize at the hacker conference Pwn2Own
in Vancouver
Canada for being the first to find a critical bug in the ultrathin MacBook Air
. The next year, he won $5,000 for cracking Safari
. In 2009 he also demonstrated an SMS processing vulnerability that allowed for complete compromise of the Apple iPhone
and denial-of-service attacks on other phones. In 2011 he found a security hole in an iPhone's or iPad's security, whereby an application can contact a remote computer to download new unapproved software that can execute any command that could steal personal data or otherwise using iOS applications functions for malicious purposes. As a proof of concept, Miller created an application called Instastock that got approved by Apple's App Store. He then informed Apple about the security hole, who then promptly expelled him from the App Store.
Miller holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Notre Dame
.
Prior to his current employment, he spent five years working for the National Security Agency
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
. Miller demonstrated his hacks publicly on products manufactured by Apple
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
. In 2008 he won a $10,000 cash prize at the hacker conference Pwn2Own
Pwn2Own
Pwn2Own is a computer hacking contest held at the annual CanSecWest security conference, beginning in 2007. Contestants are challenged to exploit specific software / computing platform targets with previously unknown vulnerabilities...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
Canada for being the first to find a critical bug in the ultrathin MacBook Air
MacBook Air
The MacBook Air family is a line of Apple ultraportable Macintosh notebook computers.The first-generation MacBook Air was a 13.3"-only model, previously promoted as the World's Thinnest Notebook, introduced at the Macworld Conference & Expo on January 15, 2008. It featured a custom Intel Merom CPU...
. The next year, he won $5,000 for cracking Safari
Safari (web browser)
Safari is a web browser developed by Apple Inc. and included with the Mac OS X and iOS operating systems. First released as a public beta on January 7, 2003 on the company's Mac OS X operating system, it became Apple's default browser beginning with Mac OS X v10.3 "Panther". Safari is also the...
. In 2009 he also demonstrated an SMS processing vulnerability that allowed for complete compromise of the Apple iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
and denial-of-service attacks on other phones. In 2011 he found a security hole in an iPhone's or iPad's security, whereby an application can contact a remote computer to download new unapproved software that can execute any command that could steal personal data or otherwise using iOS applications functions for malicious purposes. As a proof of concept, Miller created an application called Instastock that got approved by Apple's App Store. He then informed Apple about the security hole, who then promptly expelled him from the App Store.
Miller holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
.