Security researchers managed to obtain passwords saved on the Mac while in sleep mode using a FireWire device. The issue exists in both Mac OS X "Snow Leopard" and "Lion."

It is possible to recover user passwords from Mac systems set on sleep mode, including running the latest version of Mac OS X "Lion," a password recovery software vendor said.

Passware researchers were able to recover passwords by connecting to a Mac through the FireWire port, the company said July 26. All that the trick requires is a Mac that has been locked, put into sleep mode or have FileVault disk encryption turned on, Passware said.

“Long touted as a stable and secure operating system, Mac users are cautioned that the newest operating system has a potential vulnerability that enables password extraction from devices running Mac OS Lion,” said Dmitry Sumin, president of Passware.

Source: EWeek.com