Hours after Apple launched its brand new Mac App Store, which brought the App Store model from the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch to the company's Macintosh computers, Neowin has learned that many applications have already been cracked, enabling pirates to easily install them.
The process involves the copying of 3 files, from a free application that you download from the app store, into a paid application that you download from a piracy site. This will allow the paid application to run on whichever Mac has that user authenticated within the Mac App Store. The instructions Neowin found recommended downloading Twitter, a free app, opening the application contents, and literally copying and pasting the 3 files which prove that you own the app into any vulnerable application.
At this point, Angry Birds is the most notable application which is vulnerable to the new exploit, however it's likely that many more are affected.
The issue affects applications which have not fully implemented Apple's security recommendations. Developers can patch the exploit fairly easily; however, it is expected that these apps would once again need to go through the approval process.
Neowin will not be publishing the process of how to pirate the apps, and does not encourage the practice.
Update, 9:48 EST: John Gruber, of Daring Fireball, is reporting that only some applications are affected, namely those which do not fully implement Apple's security procedures. The article has been updated to reflect this.
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