|
You
know, I violated a cardinal rule of mine - don't post something if you can't
back it up. I did have a reference and now can't find it. I did find
a similar exploit in the Yahoo messenger. I'm still pretty confident I did
read about either a real attack via the icon, or at least a proof of concept,
and I will keep looking for it. Anyway, the below is an exploit against an
IM, so it shows it is vulnerable.
Yahoo Pager/Messanger Buffer Overflow
There is a buffer overflow
problem with Yahoo Messenger that leaves the user vulnerable to remote attack.
The problem arises due to a lack of appropriate bounds checking on the length of
a URL that is received from another user inside a message. Unfortunately, due to
this oversight, it is possible for unprivileged and possibly hostile remote
users to execute arbitrary commands by overwriting the EIP (return address) and
filling the URL with malevolent code. The hostile code could then be actioned
when the unsuspecting target host clicks on the URL.
OUCH! A virus in a smiley? Tell me more! I couldn't
find anything about it.
Two things come to immediate mind:
1)
Many IM clients allow for file transfer. Depending on your overall
security policy this in itself can be an issue. Even if you allow
people to transfer files, the IM client then becomes a point of security
control. For example, with AIM, it is supposed to ask the user if it
is ok if their chat partner sends them a file. How long do you think
it will be before hackers manage to bypass that "confirmation"?
Further, then they bad-guys could then just send a backdoor program to the
hard disk. Or just pick up sensitive data from the
computer.
2)
There has already been at least one IM based virus - done by embedding
malicious code in an icon smiley face. This becomes another area where
the anti-virus vendors have to keep up.
I'm sure there are other reasons as well, those are just the 2 that
come to my mind before finishing my first cup of coffee.
Hello,
I
have been asked to research and potentially implement IM for a company to
communicate internally as well as externally. However, I have always heard
that IM was evil and to close it down ASAP. I would like to hear real
world implementation concerns/ tips as well as the security issues
associated.
Thanks
in advance for your input.
Steve
Clark
Clark
Systems Support, LLC
AVIEN
Charter Member
"Who's
watching your network?"
www.clarksupport.com
301-610-9584 voice
240-465-0323 Efax
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/ntsysadmin_list_charter.htm
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/ntsysadmin_list_charter.htm
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/ntsysadmin_list_charter.htm
http://www.sunbelt-software.com/ntsysadmin_list_charter.htm
|
