Hacker News·6 min read

The Deathray: A simple way for an untrusted site to freeze a Mac

A
auberonedu
Dive DeeperCreate a free account to unlock

A simple way for an untrusted site to freeze a Mac

A WebGPU shader on an untrusted site can hang a Mac's graphics, making the desktop UI unusable until a restart is forced. All the victim needs to do is click a link. This issue reproduces cross-browser on MacOS, but not other OSes.

THE BELOW BUTTON WILL FREEZE YOUR MAC. IT MAY SLOW OTHER OSes

On other OSes I've tested, it causes the tab to freeze and things to chug but once you close the tab you're fine. But your mileage may vary! Only click the above if you're willing to freeze your computer.

I've reproduced the deathray under MacOS on Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. It does not reproduce under other operating systems. I've only tried testing on M-series Macbooks running Tahoe; I'd be interested to hear if other Macs are impacted too!

Continue reading on Headlinne

Create a free account to read the full article.

Read full article →

Get smarter about the news

Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.

Create free account

Already have an account? Sign in