Pop-up vulnerability found in major browsers
Several popular Web browsers contain a vulnerability that could be used by cybercriminals to steal personal data, security company Secunia has warned.
The flaw would allow a phishing attack in which a malicious JavaScript pop-up window appeared in front of a trusted Web site, Secunia said in an alert published Tuesday. This could trick a surfer into revealing data such as a password.
"The problem is that JavaScript dialog boxes do not display or include their origin, which allows a new window to open--for example, a prompt dialog box--which appears to be from a trusted site," said Secunia's advisory.
According to Secunia, the latest versions of Internet Explorer, Internet Explorer for Mac, Safari, iCab, Mozilla, Mozilla Firefox and Camino are all vulnerable. Opera 7 and 8 are affected, but not 8.01, according to Opera.
To take advantage of the flaw, a cybercriminal would have to direct a Web user from a malicious site to a genuine, trusted site such as an online bank, in a new browser window. The malicious site would then open a JavaScript dialog box in front of the trusted Web site, and a user might then be fooled into sending personal information back to the malicious site.
Microsoft has said it is investigating Secunia's claims. It encouraged surfers not to trust pop-up windows that don't include an address bar or a lock icon that verifies that it came from a certified source.
Mozilla Firefox developers have already been making moves to combat this kind of phishing attack. Back in April, a patch was developed that allows people to block Java and Flash-based pop-ups unless they came from trusted sites. Mozilla wasn't immediately available to comment on Secunia's claims.
Opera confirmed Wednesday that its latest browser, 8.01, would display the pop-up's origin, letting a user inspect its URL to see if it came from a trusted site.
"Once these things are discovered, there's a rush as everyone tries to fix the problem," Christen Krogh, Opera's vice president of engineering, told ZDNet UK.
Krogh also pointed out that Secunia had rated the vulnerability as "less critical."
"This could fool some users into giving out some data to a site that wouldn't otherwise be able to get that information. But it doesn't seem like the most important issue," Krogh said.
By Graeme Wearden
ZDNet UK
- Login or register to post comments
- Printer-friendly version
- 2414 reads
- PDF version
More in Tux Machines
- Highlights
- Front Page
- Latest Headlines
- Archive
- Recent comments
- All-Time Popular Stories
- Hot Topics
- New Members
digiKam 7.7.0 is releasedAfter three months of active maintenance and another bug triage, the digiKam team is proud to present version 7.7.0 of its open source digital photo manager. See below the list of most important features coming with this release. |
Dilution and Misuse of the "Linux" Brand
|
Samsung, Red Hat to Work on Linux Drivers for Future TechThe metaverse is expected to uproot system design as we know it, and Samsung is one of many hardware vendors re-imagining data center infrastructure in preparation for a parallel 3D world. Samsung is working on new memory technologies that provide faster bandwidth inside hardware for data to travel between CPUs, storage and other computing resources. The company also announced it was partnering with Red Hat to ensure these technologies have Linux compatibility. |
today's howtos
|
Recent comments
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago
1 year 11 weeks ago