Updates on Omid Farhang

What you need to know about BERserk and Mozilla

Thu, 25 Sep 2014 22:10:46 +0000

The Intel Security Advanced Threat Research Team has discovered a critical signature forgery vulnerability in the Mozilla Network Security Services (NSS) crypto library that could allow malicious parties to set up fraudulent sites masquerading as legitimate businesses and other organizations.

The Mozilla NSS library, commonly utilized in the Firefox web browser, can also be found in Thunderbird, Seamonkey, and other Mozilla products. Dubbed “BERserk”, this vulnerability allows for attackers to forge RSA signatures, thereby allowing for the bypass of authentication to websites utilizing SSL/TLS. Given that certificates can be forged for any domain, this issue raises serious concerns around integrity and confidentiality as we traverse what we perceive to be secure websites.

Chrome 28 with new Blink engine and Rich Notifications

Wed, 10 Jul 2013 13:31:59 +0000

Cross-posted from H-Online:

Google has released the stable version 28 of its Chrome browser. It is the first version to use the new Blink engine for rendering web pages and it appears that the new engine will allow web pages to be loaded about ten per cent faster. The developers say that the increased speed is also thanks to the new threaded HTML parser, which frees up the JavaScript thread, allowing DOM content to be displayed faster. The HTML parser also takes fewer breaks, which is said to result in time savings of up to 40 per cent. Another contributor to the faster working speed is the optimized V8 JavaScript engine.

WordPress hardened with XSS, DoS and SSRF fixes

Tue, 25 Jun 2013 10:57:44 +0000

With the second security and maintenance release of WordPress 3.5, the developers of the popular open source blogging software have closed 12 bugs, seven of them security issues. In their announcement, the developers “strongly encourage” all users to update all their installations of the software to version 3.5.2 immediately. In addition to the fixed vulnerabilities, the new release also includes some proactive changes intended to harden the platform against attacks.

Symantec updates Norton 2013 range to v20.4

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:41:51 +0000

Symantec has updated its suite of Windows security products with the release of Norton Antivirus 2013 v20.4, Norton Internet Security 2013 v20.4 and Norton 360 2013 v20.4.

Version 20.4 is primarily a bug-fix release, with some notable fixes, but also tweaks the user interface.

One visible change for users who also have Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free installed as additional protection is a fix that prevents Norton from blocking or flagging up MBAM as incompatible.

Apple closes QuickTime vulnerabilities on Windows

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:01:51 +0000

Apple has released a security update for its QuickTime media framework for Windows. Version 7.7.4 of the software closes 12 critical security holes causing memory corruption and buffer overflows when processing a number of media formats. The vulnerabilities affect Windows 7, Vista and XP SP2 or later and could be exploited to cause arbitrary code execution and application crashes.

The vulnerabilities affected the playback of MP3, H.263, H.264, TeXML, JPEG, QTIF, Sorenson Video and FPX files as well as the handling of dref, enof and mvhd atoms within the program. All of the problems were reported by researchers working with HP’s Zero Day Initiative, five of them by Tom Gallagher and Paul Bates from Microsoft.

Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail is out, What's new?

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:39:43 +0000

Canonical has released Ubuntu 13.04 Raring Ringtail, most likely the last release of Ubuntu that will primarily cater for laptop and desktop users. For Ubuntu 13.04, Canonical focused on tightening up the core of the OS and polishing the Unity interface in preparation for Ubuntu’s smartphone and tablet debut, which is slated to occur in October with the release of version 13.10. There’s also the usual slew of package updates, a new Linux kernel, and a couple of new features, too.

Microsoft patches the security update 2823324

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:56:13 +0000

Microsoft is making another attempt to close the privilege elevation hole in the NTFS filesystem’s kernel driver for Windows 7 and Server 2008, including R2. The new patch, 2840149, supersedes security update 2823324, which Microsoft released on its April Patch Tuesday.

However, shortly after releasing it, the software giant had to recall the first update because it caused problems with various third-party programs; it crippled computers and triggered error messages. Kaspersky’s anti-virus programs also started acting up once the update was installed, erroneously assuming that they no longer had a valid licence and discontinuing operation. When re-releasing the update, Microsoft didn’t clarify whether this was the reason for the system malfunctioning.

Microsoft to plug holes in Windows Defender in Patch Tuesday

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 20:18:00 +0000

Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday on 9 April will be an important spring cleaning day; the company plans to implement nine security bulletins. One of the bulletins deals with vulnerabilities in Windows Defender for Windows 8 and RT; the hole is rated as important and can be exploited to achieve elevated privileges.

The headline bulletins will be the two critical security holes, one of which affects all versions of Windows and Windows Server, and another critical vulnerability which can be found in all versions of Internet Explorer. Whether the Internet Explorer fix will be addressing the IE vulnerability revealed at the recent Pwn2Own contest is unclear though. Both critical holes allow for remote code execution.

Google updates all Chrome editions

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 20:48:00 +0000

h-online: Google has updated the Stable, Beta and Developer Channels of the desktop version of its Chrome browser with a number of bug fixes and improvements. The Stable Channel update closes seven security vulnerabilities, three of them rated High, and includes bug fixes. New stable Chrome versions for iOS and Android have also been released and include minor improvements. The iOS version of the browser now supports Apple’s Passbook application.

Firefox 16 re-released fixing multiple vulnerabilities

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 11:39:00 +0000

The H-Online: The latest version of Firefox, version 16, has returned to Mozilla’s servers with the release of Firefox 16.0.1 after the discovery of vulnerabilities caused the organization to remove the just-released open source web browser from circulation. Mozilla’s security blog post described the problem as just that of a malicious web site being able to potentially determine the URLs and parameters used and suggested downgrading to Firefox 15.0.1, despite the numerous critical bugs fixed in Firefox 16.

Mozilla closes numerous critical holes in Firefox 16 [Update]

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 11:35:00 +0000

The h-online: Following the recent Firefox 16 release, Mozilla has now detailed all of the security fixes in the new version of its open source web browser as well as in the Thunderbird news and email client. Version 2.13 of the SeaMonkey “all-in-one internet application suite” has also received fixes. In addition to adding new features, version 16.0 of Firefox closes a total of 14 security holes, 11 of which are rated as “Critical” by the project.

Microsoft's September Patch Tuesday closes important XSS holes

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 19:27:00 +0000

h-online: On its September Patch Tuesday, Microsoft released two security updates that are rated as important and which close holes in Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2010 (TFS) and Systems Management Server 2003 and 2007. Both updates fix cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the web interfaces that allow attackers to execute arbitrary code in the victim’s browser.

As the holes enable an attacker to access the web interfaces at the user’s privilege level, Microsoft has classified them as privilege escalation vulnerabilities. The company notes that, to its knowledge, neither of the holes is being actively exploited for attacks.

Symantec releases Norton 2013 security suites

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 15:29:00 +0000

BetaNews: Symantec has released brand new versions of its Norton security packages for Windows, Norton Anti-Virus 2013, Norton Internet Security 2013 and Norton 360 2013. It’s the first time all three packages have been updated simultaneously, while the branding has also been amended to remove all references to a date, simply naming each Norton Anti-Virus, Norton Internet Security and Norton 360, respectively.

The 2013 versions come with what Symantec describes as “five layers of patented protection”, which include stronger social networking and anti-scam protection. There’s also full, certified support for Windows 8 and the promise of better performance on multi-core CPUs.

Oracle rushes out patch for critical 0-day Java exploit

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 14:17:00 +0000

TheRegister: In an uncommon break with its thrice-annual security update schedule, Oracle has released a patch for three Java 7 security flaws that have recently been targeted by web-based exploits.

“Due to the high severity of these vulnerabilities, Oracle recommends that customers apply this Security Alert as soon as possible,” Eric Maurice, the company’s director of software security assurance, said in a blog post published on Thursday.

Maurice said that the vulnerabilities patched only affect Java running in browsers, and not standalone desktop Java applications or Java running on servers. According to Oracle’s official advisory on the flaws:

Download Firefox 15 and Thunderbird 15!

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 16:55:00 +0000

Cross-copied from BetaNews:

Mozilla has quietly placed major new versions of its open-source, cross-platform web browser and email client onto its download servers ahead of an official release.

Firefox 15 FINAL benefits largely from behind-the-scenes performance tweaks, while Thunderbird 15 FINAL introduces a few new features, including a new curvy user interface.

Firefox 15 FINAL’s most notable changes are performance-based. There’s faster startup on Windows PCs, plus incremental garbage collection and better management of plugins to prevent memory leaks. Other performance improvements surround WebGL enhancements.

Adobe Flash Player update patches six critical holes

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 12:53:00 +0000

h-Online: Adobe has released the second update for its Flash Player software in a week, this time for six critical vulnerabilities. Four of the issues addressed are problems with memory corruption that could lead to remote code execution; additionally, the update fixes an integer overflow vulnerability that could also lead to remote code execution. Another bug that was fixed is a cross-domain information leak. The problems exist in Flash Player 11.3.300.271 and earlier versions on Windows, Macintosh and Linux, and in the Android versions 11.1.115.11 (Android 4.0) and 11.1.111.10 (Android 3.x and 2.x) and earlier.

PostgreSQL patches XML flaws

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 08:51:00 +0000

h-online: A flaw in the built-in XML functionality of PostgreSQL (CVE-2012-3488) and another in its optional XSLT handling (CVE-2012-3489) have been patched, and the developers have released updated versions of the open source database with relevant fixes. The holes being patched are related to insecure use of the widely used libxml2 and libxslt open source libraries and the PostgreSQL developers advise anyone using those libraries to check their systems for similar problems.

IE 9.0.9 Available via Windows Update

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 10:43:00 +0000

MSDN:

The August 2012 Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer is now available via Windows Update. This security update resolves four privately reported vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. The most severe vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted Web page using Internet Explorer. An attacker who successfully exploited any of these vulnerabilities could gain the same user rights as the current user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights This security update is rated Critical for Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8, and Internet Explorer 9 on Windows clients and Moderate for Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer 8, and Internet Explorer 9 on Windows servers For more information, see the full bulletin.

Adobe Flash Player 11.3.300.270 for Windows released to address a crash

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 09:13:00 +0000

Adobe wrote:

Today, Flash Player 11.3.300.270 for Windows was released to address a crash that was occurring in the Adobe Flash Player Update Service (FlashPlayerUpdateService.exe). There are no other fixes or changes provided with this build. This release is available for Windows only, and affects the Active X and Plug-in installers, uninstaller, and msi’s (available on the distribution page.) No other platforms are affected.

Please be aware that this release is not available from the Product Download Center (http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer) which will continue to provide 11.3.300.268. We realize that this might cause confusion for some users. Due to the severity of this issue, we decided to make this build available immediately to help customers affected by this bug. Due to logistical issues and time constraints, we were unable to update the release on the Product Download Center. The next release of Flash Player will correct this disparity. Please note that unless you have been affected by the FlashPlayerUpdateService.exe crash, both 11.3.300.270 and 11.3.300.268 will be functionally identical.

Chrome 21 arrives with new API for video and audio communication

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 19:53:00 +0000

h-online: With the release of Chrome 21, web applications can now directly access the local system’s built-in camera and microphone. Instead of requiring a special plugin, the major stable update to the WebKit-based web browser includes a new HTML5 <a href="http://www.html5rocks.com/en/tutorials/getusermedia/intro/">getUserMedia</a> API – currently a W3C Editor’s Draft – to provide web apps with access to the camera and microphone. For security purposes, users will be prompted to grant apps permission to access the hardware.