Old QuickTime flaw exposes IE
Summary
A zero-day vulnerability in Apple QuickTime that could allow a remote attacker to take over a computer running Internet Explorer has been reported by security researchers.
Topics
A zero-day vulnerability in Apple QuickTime that could allow a remote attacker to take over a computer running Internet Explorer has been reported by security researchers.
The flaw bypasses two commonly used security measures on Windows systems: address space layout randomisation (ASLR) and data execution prevention (DEP), according to Ruben Santamarta, a researcher for Spanish security company Wintercore."The exploit defeats ASLR+DEP and has been successfully tested on [Windows 7], Vista and XP," said Santamarta in security advisory on Monday.
Santamarta said that Windows 7, Vista and XP machines using IE are vulnerable if the user visits a malicious website. Apple QuickTime 7.x and 6.x code can be exploited through the browser and is vulnerable to an exploit that uses a heap-spraying technique, said the researcher. Heap spraying is a technique which tries to put bytes into the memory of a target process.
For more of this story, read Old QuickTime code leaves IE open to attack on ZDNet UK.
Talkback Most Recent of 13 Talkback(s)
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Just so everyone is clear
This flaw is Quicktime's problem and the fact that the software was written for Windows is irrelevant. Just waiting for the Windows bashers to come in and say "Yeah but it is on Windows so it is a Windows Problem"
bobiroc31st Aug 2010 -
lincc2631st Sep 2010 -
I HATE QUICKTIME, CUZ IT'S ANYTHING BUT QUICK!!!!
@bobiroc Can't stand Apple anything. They operate like a bunch of Gypsy Snake Oil Merchants. They never even attempt to make things work better for Windows users and use all their software as "Gypsy Come On's" like InfoMercials to over hype their own products like Pimps sampling out their merchandise to get you hooked!
The majority of Windows users are savy enough to keep Windows growing over Mac OS-X and in case Apple and this blogger doesn't know this. Windows 7 is a success!!! ....even my cheap arse company has fully upgraded over 500 licenses from XP to Windows 7!!!
Monarky1st Sep 2010 -
Still being able to defeat DEP and ASLR on Win7 is a big deal.
@bobiroc
I certainly wouldn't say that an exploit being able to defeat ASLR/DEP was just a Quicktime problem! DEP is supposed to be enforced at the chip level, and should be implemented such that it is impossible to turn off. Are you running Windows 7? And if you are, does your boot.ini file contain a setting like "OptIn", "OptOut" or "AlwaysOn"? Anything other than "AlwaysOn" would imply that any lucky exploit might defeat ASLR/DEP.
This particular exploit sounds like it might be using Sotirov and Dowd's techniques, which would also make it specific to 32 bit platforms.
Zogg1st Sep 2010 -
just use Linux
and dump Apple and M$ for your own sake.
Linux Geek31st Aug 2010 -
RE: Old QuickTime flaw exposes IE
@Linux Geek
For an operating system that is EVEN MORE insecure when it comes down to brass tacks? Hell no!
I get tired of reading this stuff from Linphiles like you, who apparently cannot realize that Linux is MORE insecure than Windows because it hasn't had the security travails that Windows has had over the years to encourage it's evolution and revolution.
Lerianis1031st Aug 2010 -
RE: Old QuickTime flaw exposes IE
@Lerianis10
Does ignoring a 17 year DOS/VDM bug, for example, also make Windows revolutionary?
Zc45631st Aug 2010 -
RE: Old QuickTime flaw exposes IE
@Lerianis10 Yeah, sorry. There are a lot of good Microsoft arguments you can win, but Open Source in general, not just Linux has proven itself routinely more secure and quicker to patch bugs when they do occur. So that's not one of them...It's the main advantage of a community supported project.
Socratesfoot1st Sep 2010 -
Just shut up about a subject you know nothing of!!!! Linux Rules Security!
@Lerianis10 I use both systems and there is no comparison on Security between Linux and Windows. They have both been developed primarily for different reasons. Windows has been developed primarily for everyday Desktop users with OS centered programs available supplied by 3rd developers. As such, it is emphatically more vulnerable in just allowing free market enterprise to rule how it operates.
Linux on the other hand is a work horse OS developed primarily to securely serve business and government needs. It is the OS used to power 95% of all HPC and Cluster markets. It's what runs over 70% of the World's Top Super Computers. It is the OS that many countries use to run their government's most important departments. It is why the NSA wrote the Secure Linux kernel, that's now in evey version of Linux down to Cell Phones. It's what the DOD and DOE use for Security now!!!
So even go there.... and be as asinine as to say Windows is more Secure than Linux! ....both OS-X and Windows are "Wantabee Secure" compared to Linux!!! lol
Monarky1st Sep 2010 -
Any information on how Protected Mode behaves?
Does Protected Mode prevent the malicious code from making modifications? That seems to be the behavior I would expect.
ye31st Aug 2010 -
QuickTime and iTunes are the reason...
I won't allow an iPod, iPad, iPhone, iAnything touch my system. I think my son's iPod touch is really nice and I wouldn't mind having one if it weren't for iTunes. I admit to lusting after an iPad. But my son's system has more problems than any other system in the house and quite of few issues have been traced back to iTunes/QuickTime. (orphaned processes, locked out resources, conflicting stack calls,...) Before we hear from all the "SWITCH TO MAC/LINUX/BeOS" crew. My son is an avid gamer. Too many of his games are not supported on Mac and regular hardware upgrades preclude that move. Besides, the price savings from WinTel just makes sense in my world.
Scubajrr1st Sep 2010 -
RE: Old QuickTime flaw exposes IE
Apple software, Flash, and Adobe PDF, three things you should never let near a PC that you want to work right. Somewhere around 80% of current malware happens around these three.
mswift@...1st Sep 2010 -
RE: Old QuickTime flaw exposes IE
@mswift@...
You forgot the IE / ActiveX combination.
It still holds the record of attacks.
It is even required in this Quicktime exploit,
hkommedal4th Sep 2010
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