Topic: New Cyber Attack on Win XP & IE8

[Samker]

If you still use Windows XP and Internet Explorer 8, you might want to consider upgrading to a new OS and a new version of Microsoft's web browser. A cyber attack has apparently revealed that there is an exploit that affects IE8.

According to the blog of the FireEye software security firm: http://blog.fireeye.com/research/2012/12/council-foreign-relations-water-hole-attack-details.html , the website of the Council on Foreign Relations was the subject of a cyber attack earlier this week that caused the site to host malicious content. The blog adds:

"We can also confirm that the malicious content hosted on the website does appear to use Adobe Flash to generate a heap spray attack against Internet Explorer version 8.0 (fully patched), which was the source of the zero-day vulnerability."

The blog states that they won't be releasing any technical details of this newly discovered exploit and that Microsoft is still looking into the issue. The exploit appears confined to IE8; IE9 and IE10, both of which use Windows 7 and Windows 8, do not appear to be affected.

IE8 is used on Windows XP PCs and this latest issue shows some of the dangers of using both a web browser and an operating system that are both approaching their deadline until their official support ends. Microsoft will cut off support for Windows XP on April 8th, 2014.

(NW)


Update: Microsoft has now issued an official security advisory on this exploit, which affects IE6, 7 and 8: http://blogs.technet.com/b/msrc/archive/2012/12/29/microsoft-releases-security-advisory-2794220.aspx
Microsoft has some workarounds for people who might be affected by the issue and adds that it is " ... also actively working to package an easy, one-click Fix it solution that will help protect your computer." It should be released "in the next few days."

[Samker]

Microsoft Issues 'fix It' for IE Vulnerability

Microsoft has released a quick fix for a vulnerability in older versions of its Internet Explorer browser that is actively being used by attackers to take over computers: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2794220

The vulnerability affects IE versions 6, 7 and 8. The latest versions of the browser, 9 and 10, are not affected. The company occasionally issues quick fixes as a temporary protective measure while a permanent security update is developed if a vulnerability is considered particularly dangerous.

Microsoft issued an advisory on Saturday warning of the problem, which involves how IE accesses "an object in memory that has been deleted or has not been properly allocated." The problem corrupts the browser's memory, allowing attackers to execute their own code: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/advisory/2794220

The vulnerability can be exploited by manipulating a website in order to attack vulnerable browsers, one of the most dangerous types of attacks known as a drive-by download. Victims merely need to visit the tampered site in order for their computer to become infected. To be successful, the hacker would have to lure the person to the harmful website, which is usually done by sending a malicious link via email.

Security vendor Symantec described such a scenario as a "watering hole" attack, where victims are profiled and then lured to the malicious site. Last week, one of the websites discovered to have been rigged to delivered an attack was that of the Council on Foreign Relations, a reknowned foreign policy think tank: http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/internet-explorer-zero-day-used-watering-hole-attack-qa

The attack delivers a piece of malware nicknamed Bifrose, a malware family first detected around 2004. Bifrose is a "backdoor" that allows an attacker to steal files from a computer. Symantec wrote that the attacks using the IE vulnerability appear to be limited and concentrated in North America, indicating a targeted attack campaign.

Since the attacks already under way before the vulnerability was discovered, Symantec said it "suggests a high level of sophistication requiring access to resources and skills which would normally be outside most hackers capabilities."

(CIO)