Note: This respose is especially towards Zone Labs Advisory on "Bypassing PersonalFirewall (Zone Alarm Pro) Using DDE-IPC" issue.
Hi, In your advisory (http://download.zonelabs.com/bin/free/securityAlert/35.html) regarding this issue, you have mentioned that only the Free Version of ZA is vulnerable and ZA Pro is in the un-affected list. Without downplaying your advisory on this issue, I want to confirm that I have tested this for ZA Pro 3.7.159 and found vulnerable. Although the current version (6.0) is not vulnerable. IMHO It will be a big mistake to conscider all versions of Zone Alarm Pro is un-affected. ZoneLabs advisory on this is only valid for the current version (6.0) of ZA Pro which I have tested and found it to be unaffected. There are many who uses previous versions of ZA Pro (3x, 4x, 5x) and the Zone Labs advisory seems to be covering the issue by saying that ZA Pro is un-affected (**subjective statement**). I am not making any accusition, it might be a mistake but defenitely needs to be addressed in the advisory. I can keep silent on this issue and so as you but then it is very important that the users of previous version must know that they are prone to such attacks. Besides this, I just came across the news @ news.com where as per the news Zone Labs have given a different statement - http://news.com.com/Malicious+code+could+trick+ZoneAlarm+firewall/2100-1002_ 3-5886488.html <news @ news.com> The issue affects the popular free ZoneAlarm firewall and default installations of version 5.5 and earlier of the paid product, maker Zone Labs said in a security advisory on Thursday. Default installations of the Check Point Integrity Client are also affected, but the paid ZoneAlarm 6.0 products, released in July, are not, Zone Labs said. Click on the above link to read more... </news @ news.com> Well, the statement given to news.com by Zone Labs seems to be contradicting your own advisory. As per the statement to news.com -> The affected versions are : free ZoneAlarm firewall and default installations of version 5.5 and earlier of the paid product Default installations of the Check Point Integrity Client are also affected This statement contradicts the advisory released by you....I can see a huge gap between the statement and advisory.... Request you to clarify and update the advisory if there is a mistake. Incase you require more info from me then feel free to mail. Thanks & Regds... Tr0y (aka Debasis Mohanty) www.hackingspirits.com -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Zone Labs Security Team Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 5:13 AM To: bugtraq@securityfocus.com; full-disclosure@lists.grok.org.uk Subject: [Full-disclosure] Zone Labs response to "Bypassing PersonalFirewall (Zone Alarm Pro) Using DDE-IPC" Zone Labs response to "Bypassing Personal Firewall (Zone Alarm Pro) Using DDE-IPC" Overview: Debasis Mohanty published a notice about a potential security issue with personal firewalls to several security email lists on September 28th, 2005. Zone Labs has investigated his claims and has determined that current versions of Zone Labs and Check Point end-point security products are not vulnerable. Description: The proof-of-concept code published uses the Windows API function ShellExecute() to launch a trusted program that is used to access the network on behalf of the untrusted program, thereby accessing the network without warning from the firewall. Impact: If successfully exploited, a malicious program may be able to access the network via a trusted program. The ability to access the network would be limited to the functionality of the trusted program. Unaffected Products: ZoneAlarm Pro, ZoneAlarm AntiVirus, ZoneAlarm Wireless Security, and ZoneAlarm Security Suite version 6.0 or later automatically protect against this attack in the default configuration. ZoneAlarm Pro, ZoneAlarm AntiVirus, ZoneAlarm Wireless Security, and ZoneAlarm Security Suite version 5.5 are protected against this attack by enabling the "Advanced Program Control" feature. Check Point Integrity client versions 6.0 and 5.5 are protected against this attack by enabling the "Advanced Program Control" feature. Affected Products: ZoneAlarm free versions lack the "Advanced Program Control" feature and are therefore unable to prevent this bypass technique. Recommended Actions: Subscribers should upgrade to the latest version of their ZoneAlarm product or enable the "Advanced Program Control" feature. Related Resources: Zone Labs Security Services http://www.zonelabs.com/security Contact: Zone Labs customers who are concerned about this vulnerability or have additional technical questions may reach our Technical Support group at: http://www.zonelabs.com/support/. To report security issues with Zone Labs products contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Note that any other matters sent to this email address will not receive a response. Disclaimer: The information in the advisory is believed to be accurate at the time of publishing based on currently available information. Use of the information constitutes acceptance for use in an AS IS condition. There are no warranties with regard to this information. Neither the author nor the publisher accepts any liability for any direct, indirect, or consequential loss or damage arising from use of, or reliance on, this information. Zone Labs and Zone Labs products, are registered trademarks of Zone Labs LLC. and/or affiliated companies in the United States and other countries. All other registered and unregistered trademarks represented in this document are the sole property of their respective companies/owners. Copyright: (c)2005 Zone Labs LLC All rights reserved. Zone Labs, TrueVector, ZoneAlarm, and Cooperative Enforcement are registered trademarks of Zone Labs LLC The Zone Labs logo, Check Point Integrity and IMsecure are trademarks of Zone Labs, LLC. Check Point Integrity protected under U.S. Patent No. 5,987,611. Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off. Cooperative Enforcement is a service mark of Zone Labs LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Any reproduction of this alert other than as an unmodified copy of this file requires authorization from Zone Labs. Permission to electronically redistribute this alert in its unmodified form is granted. All other rights, including the use of other media, are reserved by Zone Labs LLC. _______________________________________________ Full-Disclosure - We believe in it. Charter: http://lists.grok.org.uk/full-disclosure-charter.html Hosted and sponsored by Secunia - http://secunia.com/ _______________________________________________ Full-Disclosure - We believe in it. Charter: http://lists.grok.org.uk/full-disclosure-charter.html Hosted and sponsored by Secunia - http://secunia.com/