Thursday November 30 08:16 PM EST AIM users prone to name hijacks By Robert Lemos, ZDNet News Flaws in the server used to sign up for AOL's Instant Messenger give hackers a way to steal other users' names. But you can protect yourself. Users of America Online's Instant Messenger application are in danger of losing their on-screen identities. On Wednesday, two AOL user sites -- Inside-AOL.com and AOL-Files.com -- revealed that the accounts of AIM users were being stolen by hackers using a technique that has been wafting about the Internet for weeks. Adrian Lamo, the founder and a staff writer for Inside-AOL, accused the Internet giant of not closing the hole in a timely manner. "AOL isn't really paying attention to policy flaws and security flaws, and by bringing attention to it a public forum, we hope to get AOL to fix the problem," Lamo said. The flaw has been used for more than a month by hackers to compromise AIM accounts, but the hijacking has picked up significantly in the past few weeks. AOL could not be reached for comment prior to publication of this article. Using an internal AOL administration tool readily available on the Internet, name hijackers can send a specific set of commands to the AIM registration server, instructing it to grant a name that already exists. The technique exploits a flaw in the AIM servers that allows a vandal to steal a user's account only if a name consisting of all but the first two letters of the user's account has not been registered. For example, if a hacker wanted to steal the account of "Joe User," he could steal it by registering "e User" with the AIM server. Using an administration tool, the hacker can add the first two letters to the name. Temporary fix Until AOL fixes the server, users can protect themselves by registering the name that hackers use (the name minus the first two letters). To do so, follow these steps: 1) Go to this AOL IM registration page. 2) Register your name minus the first two letters. If you are EXAMPLENAME, then register AMPLENAME. If the registration process says that the "nick" was taken, then it's likely that the name has been legitimately registered. If it allows the name to be registered, then it means that the original name is protected against hijacking. The flaw only makes stand-alone AIM users vulnerable. Members of America Online -- that is, people who use AOL for Internet access -- don't have to worry, according to Inside-AOL.com. --- Support our Sponsor ------------------------------------ Juniper Bank-2.9% intro APR, 100% access Experience unrivaled Internet and wireless convenience with friendly account reminders and online discounts. Get connected to a whole new kind of credit card. http://click.topica.com/aaaaYBb1dhr0b1uN1Ic/Juniper ------------------------------------------------------------ -- archive: http://theMezz.com/cybercrime/archive unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] url: http://theMezz.com/alerts ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A http://www.topica.com/t/17 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
