Archive for the ‘Browser Vulnerabilities’ Category

WhiteHat Aviator rides into town …

Posted: February 4, 2015 by IntentionalPrivacy in Browser Vulnerabilities, First Steps, Privacy, Security Breach, Vulnerabilities
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I have recently started using the WhiteHat Aviator browser, which uses the anonymous search engine Disconnect. It is available for Windows and Mac here. It works pretty well (although it is sometimes slow). When I use it for sites like Gmail where I use two-factor authentication, I do have to enter both the second factor and the password every time I load the website. It will not save the code like Firefox can for thirty days.

I am planning on installing Disconnect on my phone next. If that works out, I will try the premium version, which includes encrypted Internet, safe browsing, and location control.

Another anonymous search engine is DuckDuckGo.

I also use Firefox with extensions NoScript, Ghostery, Adblock Plus, and Lightbeam. Lightbeam is particularly fascinating to look at; it shows all the sites that track me, even after all those add-ons. NoScript can be painful to use because you have to enable every single site.

After the last set of Adobe Flash 0days (two in a week!), I uninstalled Adobe Flash and Air. After all, if I really need Flash, I can always use Google Chrome, where Flash is built in.

I rarely use Internet Explorer any more.

And while you are updating your browser, make sure your Java version is current.

Gnu Bash Shellshock … what is it … and does it affect me?

Posted: September 28, 2014 by IntentionalPrivacy in Browser Vulnerabilities, Vulnerabilities, Worms
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Shellshock (CVE-2014-6271 and CVE-2014-7169) is the name of a bug affecting the Gnu Bash (Bourne-again shell) command-line shell, which can be used on many Linux and UNIX operating systems, as well as Mac OS X. It does not affect Windows computers unless you’ve installed Bash with something like Cygwin. While it’s unlikely that most consumer computers will be targeted, it’s a good idea to watch for updates for operating systems, firewalls, routers, switches, modems, printers, and household items that can be assessed over the Internet–TVs, thermostats, IP cameras, and other items.

It is already being exploited by worms and other malware.

Cisco, Red Hat, Debian, and Ubuntu have already issued updates. The first patch issued did not completely fix the problem, so make sure you update to the version that addresses CVE-2014-7169 as well as CVE-2014-6271. Apple has not issued any updates as of September 28, 2014.

This bug has been around for a very long time; the latest (safe) Bash version is 3.2.53.  Brian J. Fox wrote Bash in 1987 and supported it for five years, and then Chet Ramey took over support–his unpaid hobby. Mr. Ramey thinks Shellshock was accidentally added in 1992.

We have a Macbook that was running a vulnerable version of Bash. I manually updated Bash per this article.

According to Qualys, here’s how to test for the vulnerabilities; at the command line, paste the following line (make sure this line is exact):

env var='() { ignore this;}; echo vulnerable’ bash -c /bin/true

If you have a vulnerable version of bash, the screen will display “vulnerable.” Just to be safe after updating, check the bash version by typing:

bash –version

Vulnerable versions will be before 3.2.53.

If you applied a patch before Friday, you might have a less-serious version of the error, which you can check by typing the following:

env X='(){(a)=>\’ bash -c “echo date”; cat echo; rm -f echo

This line will display the date if bash has not been completely patched.  After patching, you will get an error when running this command.

Filter bubbles and online privacy …

Posted: July 15, 2013 by IntentionalPrivacy in Browser Vulnerabilities, Privacy, Security or Privacy Initiatives
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A filter bubble is when the results of doing an Internet search are targeted to you–your likes, your age, your location, your click history, and other aggregated information–meaning that you don’t see objective results when you search. It also means that advertiser links can be targeted more closely to what you might purchase. For an interesting look at filter bubbles, check out this information page at https://duckduckgo.com/?kad=en_US. The comments at the bottom of the page are very enlightening.

But is your information private when you search using DuckDuckGo? Maybe. You can read more about Web privacy and the NSA at Duck Duck Go: Illusion of Privacy and CNN’s How the U.S. forces Net firms to cooperate on surveillance.

For a more in-depth look at how Google personalizes your searches, read Personalized Search for Everyone and look at your Google Web History here [you must be signed in to a Google account to view this page]. You can turn off search history personalization by following instructions here.

To see who’s tracking you as you surf the Web, install a Firefox add-on called Collusion; it’s eye-opening!

For more reading on the NSA and privacy, read Bruce Schneier’s Crypto-Gram Newsletter; always fascinating!

Flash!

Posted: February 8, 2013 by IntentionalPrivacy in Browser Vulnerabilities, Identity theft, Vulnerabilities
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Ok, now Adobe has released a security update for Flash, which applies to Flash versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux, and Android operating systems, as well as Google Chrome and Internet Explorer browsers.

  • The version you should be running for Windows and Mac is Adobe Flash Player 11.5.502.149.
  • Linux users should update to Adobe Flash Player 11.2.202.262.
  • If you’re using Google Chrome as your browser, it should automatically update to the latest Chrome version. Chrome’s latest version runs Adobe Flash Player 11.5.31.139 for Windows, Macintosh and Linux.
  • If you’re using Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8, it will automatically update to the latest version of Internet Explorer, which includes the latest version of Adobe Flash Player, 11.3.379.14 for Windows.
  • Android 4.x devices should be running Adobe Flash Player 11.1.115.37.
  • Android 3.x devices should be running Adobe Flash Player 11.1.111.32.

How to keep up with all these security updates? You have several choices.

  • Sign up for US-CERT email bulletins and follow the instructions.
  • Run Secunia PSI and set it to check for updates weekly.
  • Set Adobe and Java to send you updates automatically. Java will ask you questions; make sure you check for any obnoxious add-ons before you click ok.

In the Adobe security bulletin about this Flash vulnerability that you can read at http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb13-04.html, Adobe recommends that you verify the version of Flash running on your device.

  • To verify the version of Adobe Flash Player installed on your system, access the About Adobe Flash at http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/, or right-click on content running in Flash Player and select “About Adobe (or Macromedia) Flash Player” from the menu. If you use multiple browsers, perform the check for each browser you have installed on your system.
  • To verify the version of Adobe Flash Player for Android, go to Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Adobe Flash Player x.x.

Java updates: Just say “No!” to Ask.com toolbars …

Posted: February 8, 2013 by IntentionalPrivacy in Browser Vulnerabilities, Vulnerabilities
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If you have Java running on your computer, you may have noticed that Oracle–maker of Java–has recently put out a security update for Java. This is a good thing and Oracle got the update out earlier than they had anticpated.

However, what you may not have noticed when you installed the update, is that they include what Ed Botts calls “foistware.” This is because Java includes the Browser Add-on from Ask.com when you update Java unless you specifically UNCHECK the box that gives your permission to install it. If you’re not paying attention, you can accidentally install this lousy toolbar. I’m not a big fan of toolbars anyway, and this one is really bad. You can try it out [don’t click on any sites unless you are absolutely sure you know the site] by going to http://www.ask.com/ and searching for something. You will see a lot of ads–a lot of dubious ads.

For more information, read Ed Botts’ column, http://www.zdnet.com/a-close-look-at-how-oracle-installs-deceptive-software-with-java-updates-7000010038/.

The important thing: uninstall the Ask.com toolbar if you installed it.

A good reason to stop using Internet Explorer …

Posted: January 22, 2013 by IntentionalPrivacy in Browser Vulnerabilities, Identity theft, Privacy, Uncategorized
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A new vulnerability reported at bugtraq on December 11, 2012, has just come to my notice.  The compromise occurs if you visit a website displaying an ad containing the exploit, even so-called safe sites like YouTube or the New York Times. If you have any version of Internet Explorer open on a compromised website–even if the page is minimized or you’re not on the page–your mouse cursor movements can be tracked.

Microsoft’s position as stated in this article http://www.securityweek.com/microsoft-ie-mouse-tracking-exploit-poses-little-risk is that this vulnerability would be very difficult to exploit.

There is a demo of this issue in Internet Explorer at http://iedataleak.spider.io/demo. All I could see displayed was when the CTRL, SHIFT, or ALT keys were pressed; no other keys displayed. I could, however, tell when the browser window was dragged to my other screen. Note: Spider.io has a demo game set up. In order to play the game, they want you to log in with your Twitter account. I do not recommend signing into any site with credentials from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or any other social media site.

As stated in the article, the demo does not work if the URL is entered into a Firefox web browser.

My suggestion is to only use Internet Explorer if necessary, and to close any browser–IE, Firefox, Chrome, whatever–when you are done using it, especially if it has ads on it.

Don’t let Java run rampant in your browser!

Posted: January 14, 2013 by IntentionalPrivacy in Browser Vulnerabilities, Identity theft, Privacy, Uncategorized
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Oracle, maker of Java, does not have a good track record for fixing holes in Java. A new Java security hole that apparently targets Java 7 (however, some researchers think it also apparently targets  some versions of Java 6) was discovered recently. What options do you have for fixing the problem?

  1. The safest thing to do is to uninstall Java from your computer. If that’s too extreme, then uninstall Java plugins. KrebsOnSecurity has an article listing how to disable Java in Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Google Chrome, which you can access here https://krebsonsecurity.com/how-to-unplug-java-from-the-browser/
  2. If you need to use Java for some sites, then the safest thing to do is to use two browsers and disable the Java plugin for the browser you use most often. For example, disable Java in Firefox and use Internet Explorer for the sites that absolutely must use Java. If you decide on this solution, make sure you keep Java up to date.
  3. Another viable option is to use Firefox with the NoScript plugin, available at http://noscript.net/getit. NoScript allows you to choose when to allow JavaScript to run. NoScript can also block Flash Player, which is another problematic plugin.
  4. If you have a PC, make sure you run Secunia’s Personal Software Inspector available here http://secunia.com/products/consumer/psi/ at least weekly to keep up with any updates available for all of your programs.

This vulnerability affects Macs as well as PCs. Only visiting “safe” sites will not help you avoid this issue.

Oracle released an update to fix this issue last night.

Don’t wait! Save your computer, save your information.