Unpatched Firefox flaw may expose users

ZDNet ^ | September 9, 2005, 3:53 AM PT | Joris Evers

[Bush2000]

Unpatched Firefox flaw may expose users
By Joris Evers, CNET News.com

Published on ZDNet News: September 9, 2005, 3:53 AM PT

A new, unpatched flaw in that affects all versions of Firefox could let attackers surreptitiously run malicious code on users' PCs, a security researcher has warned.

The problem lies in the way Firefox handles Web links that are overly long and contain dashes, security researcher Tom Ferris said in an interview via instant messaging late Thursday.

He posted an advisory and a proof of concept to the Full Disclosure security mailing list and to his Security Protocols Web site.

The security vulnerability is a buffer overflow flaw that "allows for an attacker to remotely execute arbitrary code" on a vulnerable PC, Ferris said. An attacker could host a Web site containing the malicious code to exploit the flaw, he said. Though his proof of concept only crashes Firefox, Ferris claims he has been able to tweak it to run code.

Buffer overflows are a commonly exploited security problem. They occur when a program allows data to be written beyond the allocated end of a buffer in memory. A computer can be made to execute potentially malicious code by feeding in extra data that is designed to flood the buffer.

Ferris reported the bug to the Mozilla Foundation on Sunday, intending to go through the organization's bug-reporting process, he said. However, in an example of the uneasy alliance between security researchers and software makers, he decided to publicly disclose the flaw after a run-in with Mozilla staff, he said.

Mozilla, which coordinates development of Firefox and distributes the software, could not immediately comment on the flaw disclosure. However, a source close to the organization confirmed that Ferris had filed several bug reports, including this specific one.

Since the debut of Firefox 1.0 in November, usage of the open-source browser has grown. Security has been a main selling point for Firefox over Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which has begun to see its market share dip slightly--for the first time in years.

However, Firefox has had its own security woes. Several serious holes in the browser have been plugged since its official release, and experts have said that safe Web browsers don't exist.

The public bug disclosure comes just as Mozilla released the first beta of Firefox 1.5. The final release of the next Firefox update, which includes security enhancements, is due by year's end, according to the Firefox road map.

Ferris has found bugs in Microsoft software before, including a yet-unpatched flaw in Internet Explorer that Microsoft still has under investigation.

Earlier this month Microsoft credited Ferris with reporting a bug in a Windows feature called Remote Desktop Protocol that could allow an attacker to remotely restart Windows systems.

[N3WBI3]

umm when have I ever bad mouthed mac? Heck I am using one right now! My wife uses a powerbook and my desktop is a mini. I have said they have the best desktop os out there!

But to acknowledge that you would have to care about facts. If that were the case when you find out the underpinnings are OSS software youll start harping on how OSX is evil?

[for-q-clinton]

look up the word touting in a dictionary.

Also this just proves my point.

[Salo]

That's a great thread for you to read, postaldave: you can watch GE lie, get caught lying, deny getting caught lying, get called out on other statement's he's made and then disappear.

These are names, which is all they ever have to offer in the face of facts.

[N3WBI3]

OSS PING

If you are interested in the OSS ping list please mail me

The Mozilla foundation has officially release a workaround for this. Turn off IDN, which has been nothing but a pain and if you turned it off after the last issue you're already fine. In case any of you are wondering IDN is the international domain naming (non UTF8) support that Mozilla and Safari use, it can allow spoofing because some characters in other languages look, in English, enough like something else. This is more a problem with the IDN standard than anything else, I don't think it can be implemented without the risk of spoofing.

Maybe if a browser changed the color of the url field if its using non utf8 characters, but I am sure there is a better way to do it.

[N3WBI3]

This particular problem though was not IDN, it was FireFox code itself..

[zeugma]

Check my posting history the last few days,

Yes, by all means check GE's posting history. You'll note that you can look back through hundreds of posts, and you'll not find any posts on any other subject. Seems the only thing in the world that GE thinks is important for is trashing open source software. Kinda makes you wonder why he even comes here.

[adam_az]

GE

Still waiting for you to reply to this post :)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1477631/posts?page=162#162

To: Golden Eagle; Salo; Bush2000; N3WBI3; ShadowAce

When the DNC starts endorsing their products like they do Linux and open source, when they start giving their software away to China and other communist governments for free like IBM and Red Hat do....When those things happen, I assure you I will speak out against them at every opportunity.

TOO LATE, they already are. Time for you to speak out!!!

http://www.detnews.com/2005/technology/0506/20/tech-219580.htm Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have made repeated trips to China in recent years, helping to strengthen the company's relationship with top Chinese leaders in a country where connections are often vital in securing deals. Microsoft's partner in the MSN China venture, Shanghai Alliance, is run by a son of former President Jiang Zemin.

As part of its marketing campaign, Microsoft has donated software to state-run China Telecom and China's State Economic and Trade Commission. It has pledged to invest or donate $10 million to China's primary education. And it has offered to provide free Windows operating systems to government officials in Beijing for three years in return for its becoming an exclusive software provider.

162 posted on 09/08/2005 12:36:37 PM MDT by adam_az (It's the border, stupid!)

]

When the DNC starts endorsing their products like they do Linux and open source, when they start giving their software away to China and other communist governments for free like IBM and Red Hat do....When those things happen, I assure you I will speak out against them at every opportunity.

TOO LATE, they already are. Time for you to speak out!!!

http://www.detnews.com/2005/technology/0506/20/tech-219580.htm Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Chief Executive Steve Ballmer have made repeated trips to China in recent years, helping to strengthen the company's relationship with top Chinese leaders in a country where connections are often vital in securing deals. Microsoft's partner in the MSN China venture, Shanghai Alliance, is run by a son of former President Jiang Zemin.

As part of its marketing campaign, Microsoft has donated software to state-run China Telecom and China's State Economic and Trade Commission. It has pledged to invest or donate $10 million to China's primary education. And it has offered to provide free Windows operating systems to government officials in Beijing for three years in return for its becoming an exclusive software provider.

[indcons]

Please add me to your OSS ping list.

[postaldave]

and you'll not find any posts on any other subject.

that's what i'm trying to find out. of all the subject OSS is the only place i see him. is he paid by M$???? who owns him.

GE: btw, communism is a "theory" countries that "try" to practice it are no more then dictatorships in the end, much like microsoft.

capitalism is a free an open market where the cheapest best product wins, much like linux.

[Golden Eagle]

ANOTHER lie. Here I am just a few weeks ago arguing with a different Chicom sympathizer, this time on oil issues.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1443166/posts

[Golden Eagle]

You're wrong, just like always. Microsoft isn't giving software away to the Chicom government, for them to rename "Red Flag" and then sell throughout Asia without a dime back to the US. That's your beloved Linux, of course, thanks to IBM and Red Hat.

[Golden Eagle]

LOL, I'm glad to link it because it shows you lunatics constantly calling me ridiculous names while trying to argue that IBM's complete givaways of software to China's government are somehow less damaging than Microsoft's potential sales. After any reading by an honest reasonable person, you're exposed as an obsessed open source fanatic, which is why I linked it.

[zeugma]

ANOTHER lie.

Geez. This is too easy. Here's the complete rundown of your last 1000 posts. This took me about 5 minutes to generate using standard unix tools, like grep, sort, and uniq. Each line is the FR title of the thread. The number that precedes each line is the number of posts by you on each thread. Anyone can take a quick look at this history and determine that you are nothing but a troll. I think out of these 1000 posts, there are about 5 that aren't your normal, everyday anti-open source shilling. I've even sorted them for you by number of posts per thread.

99 Red Flag (China) flying over LinuxWorld Expo
96 Open Source Smack Down (Backroomed for a reason. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.)
68 Is Linux For Losers?
59 Novell expects to sell 250,000 units of new Linux Desktop - Argentina
43 Firefox's 'retreat' ensures Microsoft excels
35 IBM Woos the World's Geeks
34 The Many Faces of Linux
33 China throws down gauntlet to USA Inc
33 10 Days as a Linux User: A GNU Perspective on things
31 Microsoft plans to outsource more, says ex-worker [Moving 1,000+ jobs to China]
27 Linux thrives in left-leaning Kerala
20 Microsoft warns of unpatched IE flaw
20 Mac OS on Intel x86 - CONFIRMED
18 The Open Source Heretic
18 Microsoft bans 'democracy' for China web users
15 Wall Street Journal - Apple Eyes Shifting Macintosh Line To Intel Chips
14 Microsoft loses Excel patent case
14 China’s Charge: We ignore China’s acquisitions strategy at our peril.
12 Intel to cut Linux out of the content market ~~ Eastfork and Microsoft...what's going on?
12 China's Linux industry considers mega-merger
12 Apple to switch to Intel's PC chips~~ New chips will allow PC maker to lower prices
11 I Just Installed Linux and... (VANITY)
10 Unpatched Firefox flaw may expose users
10 Sorting through the Linux lie: What it really can do
10 MS issues final software update for Win2K
9 What the Apple Plan To Switch to Intel Chips Means for Consumers
9 Unocal meeting ends, bidding war expected
9 Three Reasons (At Least) Why Mac Users Need to Cool the Smugness and Condescension
9 Should Linux sue SCO?
9 Open source battles Microsoft in Ukraine
9 10 Reasons Why You Should Adopt LINUX

8 Microsoft fixes serious Windows flaws
7 Norwegian Minister: Proprietary Formats No Longer Acceptable in Communication with Government
7 Microsoft targets Apache Web server
7 CIO Jury: Businesses give open source a reality check
6 SCO consultant: no copyright infringement in linux
5 Open Source Release For Sun's App Server
5 Linux 40 percent cheaper than Windows, exclaims IBM
5 Islam Hardliner Wins Iranian Election
4 The slow road to Windows XP
4 Red Hat Spins Off Fedora Project
4 Red Hat holes less severe than Windows - study
4 OpenOffice 2.0 Beta Review
4 Novell hits back at SCO in Unix dispute ~~
4 Microsoft sees 3 'critical' Windows security flaws
4 Group: Yahoo Helped China Jail Journalist
4 Apple to switch to Intel chips: WSJ
4 Apple Intel move 'could confuse' ~~ but may allow entry into new home markets
4 AMD Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Intel
3 Vienna to softly embrace Linux
3 Unhappiness drives open source adoption
3 Security breach could expose 40M to fraud (40 million credit cards captured by computer virus)
3 New Internet worm affects Windows users - Trend Micro
3 IBM's chip shift to blunt Apple effect
3 Free software's replacements for desktop applications
3 First views of Windows Vista
3 EU plan could put open sourcers in court
3 China, Israel discuss expanding defense ties
3 Cash-rich China is poised to shop
3 Apple's Switch to Intel: The Ultimate Power Move?
2 Sun boots Solaris x86 on Xen
2 Something's Amiss in the Linux Community
2 SCO denied motion to change IBM case again
2 MSM PCs under attack - CNN, NYT, ABCNEWS - It's not Zotob; spreading fast! Update virus defs NOW!
2 Microsoft preps 'critical' Windows patch
2 LAMP made easy with XAMPP
2 Knoppix 4.0 DVD - Like a Kid in a Candy Store
2 IBM Wins $850M Settlement From Microsoft
2 HELP! I've Been Micro-Hosed
2 ESR: "We Don't Need the GPL Anymore"
2 Enter Avalanche: P2P filesharing from Microsoft
2 Can America Compete?
2 Ballmer: While Apple And Google Get The Glitz, We Get The Customers
2 A first look at Apple's Intel Mac (with photos)
1 Worm strikes down Windows 2000 systems
1 West Coast group to buy Penguins
1 U.S. Layoffs Surge to 17-Month High
1 Tropical Storm Arlene Moves Into Gulf Coast
1 THE RAPID GROWTH & MODERNIZATION OF THE RED CHINESE NAVY
1 The Linux iPod
1 Novell to SCO Group: Drop Dead
1 New Zealand's schools to get open source for less
1 Mozilla Korea Hacked..
1 Mozilla Foundation forms for-profit corporation
1 Missile Technology Plant Moved to China (JDAM smart-bombs)
1 Microsoft Takes Sides in DVD-Format War
1 Microsoft steps up piracy fight
1 Microsoft Internet Explorer "Msdds.dll" Remote Code Execution (Affects XP SP2, etc.)
1 Massive Linux handout set for French schools
1 Making It In China
1 Linux Goes Mainstream ~~ From the Financial Press....
1 Linux and VMware add up for Connecticut nonprofit
1 Latest IBM buy will enhance virtualization toolset
1 Iran's Oil Reserves Expected To Outlive Saudi Arabia's
1 I'm desperate for help... (Computer/AOL issues)
1 IBM updates Linux desktop with Firefox support
1 IBM helps Firefox reach disabled
1 Google.com: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
1 FreeSBIE: A FreeBSD live CD
1 Dell Says He’d Sell Apple’s Mac OS
1 China Tells Congress To Back Off Businesses
1 China supplies arms to Iran, Sudan (China, the mother of autocracy)
1 China launching constant attacks on military networks
1 China flexes its economic and military muscles
1 China Criticizes U.S. Actions on Unocal Bid
1 Beijing Earmarks $40 Billion to Get in Olympic Shape
1 Avnet, Novell Team On Linux Channel Program
1 Apple to Use Intel Microprocessors Beginning in 2006
1 Apple lands four spots in TOP500 list
1 Apple, Apple, Apple...Whatever Does It Mean?
1 #@%^&*##* WINDOWS UPDATE
1 America Supports You. mil - Check out the web site GW mentioned tonight in his speech
1 Admin Account Lost Permissions: HELP! (Tech Vanity)
1 $80bn Google takes top media spot
1 5 US church leaders arrested in China

[birbear]

I guess I'm one of those "trolls" that loves hanging out on these threads watching y'all go at it.

I'm a Microsoft user. Using MSFTs products make me money. I couldn't care less about the techno-whiz-bang thingies that make it work. All I need to know that if it doesn't work, I can call up any one of a dozen people in my phone book and have somebody here in an hour who can fix it. (I can't say that with Linux or Macintosh...I live in a fairly rural area.)

Also, during the tech boom, I made some money with MSFT stock. Not much... but I feel a loyalty to who pays me.

That being said, I don't subscribe to too many conspiracy theories. GE's ideas seem a little too outside of the box for my tastes. I have problems with Open Source as a business model -- I'm classically trained in business theories and administration, I don't see how open source systems make their money... and if I can't figure that out, I'm naturally a little leary of 'em.

I use FireFox -- I had to switch because IE crashed hard on me... I finally got IE working right, thanks to Bush2000, but I'm used to FireFox now, and I like it... but for the life of me I couldn't tell you how they make money...and that scares me.

But y'all are a good source of infotainment. For awhile I thought a few of you actually scripted this out before hand...but obviously y'all fight with each other so often that you know what the other person's going to say as you're writing your replies.

Anyway... keep it up.

[softwarecreator]

For awhile I thought a few of you actually scripted this out before hand...

Yeah, We meet every Tuesday night at n3wbi3e's house to plan out next week's game plan ... his wife makes great chocolate chip cookies.  I knew eventually we'd get busted and y'all would figure it out.  N3wbi3 and GE are actually good friends who go golfing most weekends.  =)

[softwarecreator]

WOW!  Now this is called "doing your homework".  Terrific job, zeugma.  I can't wait to see the response to this.

[Salo]

Any reading of the whole thread exposes you as a buffoon and a liar, which is why I listed all of the nicknames I could remember you earning over the years. So...you now define MS giving free software to Communist China as "potential sales"....interesting.

After any reading by an honest reasonable person, you're exposed as an obsessed open source fanatic, which is why I linked it.

[Golden Eagle]

...there are about 5...

Which made your original post a lie. Go check it, you said there weren't quote "any". And yes, it was italicized, by you, despite the fact it was bogus.

[Golden Eagle]

Terrific job, zeugma.

No it wasn't, it was a snowball job to cover up his original lie that there weren't quote "any". Plus it's the pot calling the kettle black, the only reason I post so much is to expose all these lunatics pushing these lies on everyone, constantly.

[Golden Eagle]

My ideas aren't outside the box at all. I typically provide verifiable links to any of my claims. And they start with the facts that communists, socialists, and Democratic/liberal political parties worldwide are pushing open source on everyone at the expense of our longtime profitable US software companies.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x665385

http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/1736/531

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1617712,00.asp?kc=EWNKT0209KTX1K0100440

http://ianmurdock.com/?p=54

http://weblog.flora.org/article.php3?story_id=552

http://zgp.org/linux-elitists/p05210612bb7d87639a93@[192.168.1.101].html

http://www.linuxlinks.com/portal/news/article.php?story=20050624042207848&mode=print

http://www.linuxpipeline.com/42700029

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/5279

http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/7239

http://asia.cnet.com/news/software/printfriendly.htm?AT=39146335-39001094t-39000001c

http://slashdot.org/articles/99/11/10/1457205.shtml

http://linux.slashdot.org/linux/05/05/19/1213245.shtml?tid=106&tid=219

http://slashdot.org/articles/03/10/30/1435248.shtml

http://www.iranian.ws/cgi-bin/iran_news/exec/view.cgi/2/3822

http://linuxtoday.com/news_story.php3?ltsn=2002-08-30-011-26-NW-LL-PB

http://slashdot.org/articles/03/05/01/1148227.shtml?tid=103&tid=99

http://www.zdnet.co.uk/print?TYPE=story&AT=2133230-39020381t-10000002c

http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,104039,src,ov,00.asp

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-10-20-open-source-mass_x.htm

http://www.newsforge.com/business/04/02/27/2329240.shtml