The malicious JavaScript in question only served the exploit code to browsers whose language was either English (U.S.), Chinese (China), Chinese (Taiwan), Japanese, Korean, or Russian. Once the initial checks passed, the JavaScript proceeded to load an Adobe Flash file named “today.swf.” This file ultimately triggered a heap spray in IE and downloaded a file named “xsainfo.jpg.”
More details of the vulnerability are available at the CERT Knowledgebase ( VU#154201). Here’s the full technical description:
Category Archives: Technical
Military turns to ESPN to help analyze drone footage
The amount of video streaming into this base, one of a number of sites that monitors and analyzes the images, is immense. Drone video transmissions rose to 327,384 hours last year, up from 4,806 in 2001.
Given the huge amount of feeds, the Air Force has launched an aggressive effort to seek out technology or techniques that will help them process video without adding more people to stare at monitors.
W3C Finalizes HTML5 Specification
Companies like Facebook, Microsoft, Zynga all have spoken in tandem about the HTML5 specification announcement and have congratulated W3C for the milestone. The consortium took this opportunity to announce the first draft of HTML 5.1 and Canvas 2D, Level 2.
via W3C Finalizes HTML5 Specification – ParityNews.com: …Because Technology Matters.
Security Hole in Samsung Smart TVs Could Allow Remote Spying
ReVuln’s policy of disclosing security holes only to paying customers has met with disapproval from both vendors and security pros, who argue that companies should do what they can to eradicate dangerous software holes. However, the company is unbowed, maintaining that selling knowledge of software security holes is a legitimate business and helps the company recoup the costs of researcher the holes and developing proof of concept exploits for them.
via Security Hole in Samsung Smart TVs Could Allow Remote Spying | The Security Ledger.
A little short on details as I wondered how this could be done sitting behind a proper firewall.
Researchers find crippling flaws in global GPS
A 45-second crafted GPS message could bring down up to 30 percent of the global GPS Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS), while other attacks could take down 20 percent of NTRIP networks, security boffins from Carnegie Mellon University and firm Coherent Navigation wrote in a paper. (pdf)
The GPS data level attacks caused more damage than previous spoofing attacks and were able to trigger a remote crash of high-end professional receivers.
ITU’s deep packet snooping standard leaks online
The standard describes itself as applicable to “application identification, flow identification, inspected traffic types” – which The Register would highlight as the most sensitive functions – along with how DPI systems manage signatures, report to network management systems, and interact with their policy engines.
via Revealed: ITU’s deep packet snooping standard leaks online • The Register.
The ITU has now announced that the DPI standard has been approved. Its announcement spins the standard in the direction of performance management, managing not to dwell on unwelcome issues such as BitTorrent or VoIP blocking.
The Web Won’t Be Safe or Secure until We Break It
If the user is logged in, then the image file loads successfully, which causes the executions of loggedIn. If the user is not logged in, then notLoggedIn is executed. The result is an ability to test easily and invisibly whether a visitor is logged in to a particular Web site that a Web developer does not have a relationship with. This login-detection technique, which leverages CSRF, can be applied to online banks, social networks, Web mail, and basically anything else useful to an attacker. The attacker behind http://coolwebsite/ just has to find the URLs that respond in a Boolean state with respect to login.
via The Web Won’t Be Safe or Secure until We Break It – ACM Queue.
Browser intranet hacking allows Web-site owners to access the private networks of their visitors, which are probably behind network firewalls, by using their browsers as a launch point. This attack technique is painfully simple and works equally well on enterprises and home users, exposing a whole new realm of data.
CSIS: 20 Critical Security Controls
The automation of these Top 20 Controls will radically lower the cost of security while improving its effectiveness. The US State Department, under CISO John Streufert, has already demonstrated more than 94% reduction in “measured” security risk through the rigorous automation and measurement of the Top 20 Controls.
Crushed Silicon Could Triple Your Battery Life
Engineer Sibani Lisa Biswal and research scientist Madhuri Thakur reported in Nature’s Scientific Reports (it has yet to be published online) that by taking porous silicon and crushing it, they were able to dramatically decrease the volume required for anode material. Silicon has long been looked at as an anode material because it holds up to ten times more lithium ions than graphite, which is most commonly used commercially.
via Crushed Silicon Could Triple Your Battery Life | Motherboard.
The result is a new battery design that holds a charge of 1,000 milliamp hours per gram through 600 tested charge cycles of two hours charging, two hours discharging. According to the team, current graphite anodes can only handle 350 mAh/g.
Lies We Tell Our CEOs About Database Security
What makes that so dangerous, of course, is that distorted views of security often lead to bad risk decisions. Because when senior executives of any public or private organizations don’t understand industry best practices or what really constitutes a sophisticated attack, they’ll probably fail to properly fund protection measures against securing sensitive databases.
via Lies We Tell Our CEOs About Database Security – Dark Reading.
“I think she’s right, an attack is inevitable; losing 3.8 million social security numbers is not,” Murray says. “That someone bad is going to keep trying to do something bad to you, yes, that’s absolutely inevitable. That they’re going to be very, very successful like they were here, not so much.”