Everyone read this, exploit!!

sailfishsailfish
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
There is a very serious exploit, either turn your Mac OS X help viewer completely "no access" via permissions (record the settings) or remove it from your computer. Save it on cd.



Just by visiting a web site, a dmg will download in seconds and execute code.



http://www.insecure.ws/article.php?s...04051612423136



See here for proof of concept. (it's harmeless)



http://www.free-go.net/insecure/safari/0x04_test.html



Iv'e said it before and I'm saying it again, Apple you need to employ a system level check that will halt malicious or compromised websites from automatically downloading material to our computers.



You also need to employ a outgoing optional check as well, like Little Snitch does.



We love you and your no where as dangerous as Microsoft software.



But get the word out now! Thank you.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    Crap, that's nasty.



    Thanks for the pointer.
  • Reply 2 of 13
    buckeyebuckeye Posts: 358member
    Macbidouille suggested this app: More Internet
  • Reply 3 of 13
    whisperwhisper Posts: 735member
    Oooh... I bet I can use this to mess with my parents' minds...
  • Reply 4 of 13
    sailfishsailfish Posts: 163member
    The More Internet app is good. You change your browser from opening the Help Viewer to say Text Edit. This will sure give you a heads up that someone is bent upon your destruction.



    Problem is Help Viewer still runs scripts.







    My choice? I say we leave and nuke the whole site from orbit.



    It's the only way to make sure.



  • Reply 5 of 13
    curiousuburbcuriousuburb Posts: 3,325member
    Apple's Discussion Boards are still talking about this, but currently seem to be recommending:

    "Don't Go There GURLFriend" (whose top link leads to .dmg with before & after testing function for validation)



    tested myself and it seems to fix the problem beyond what unticking safari's 'open safe after d/l" does



    YMMV
  • Reply 6 of 13
    talksense101talksense101 Posts: 1,738member
    Nasty bug. I am happy for one that OS-X is being used enough for all these security issues to be identified and resolved. The only comforting feeling is that the base OS is still Unix and that limits the damage a virus can do.



    On the other hand, Apple needs to spend more effort on security considerations while adding features to the product. We don't want to be degraded to the M$ scenario.
  • Reply 7 of 13
    nebagakidnebagakid Posts: 2,692member
    it isn't a bug., but a feature that is improperly placed.





    heh. Help Viewer crashed when I opened it
  • Reply 8 of 13
    curiousuburbcuriousuburb Posts: 3,325member
    More Internet Prefpane seems upon testing to be a more thorough fix for now
  • Reply 9 of 13
    crazychestercrazychester Posts: 1,339member
    OK so I've done this. Here http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004...oblem.php#2949 suggested using Chess as it gives you a visual cue. So did that, ran the test, Chess opens.



    That means it worked, right?



    But a guy on that web page says you should do it for disk: protocol as well. What's the disk: protocol? There's nothing called that in the Moire Prefs pane.
  • Reply 10 of 13
    sailfishsailfish Posts: 163member
    Sure this may block a browser from accessing the flaw in the Help Viewer, but what's preventing that other "exploit" from doing the same?



    Or exploiting a flaw in Mail or anything else to get Help Viewer to run scripts?



    Somebody already has reported they got a gif in a email and Help Viewer opened and wiped their home directory.
  • Reply 11 of 13
    wrong robotwrong robot Posts: 3,907member
    there goes apple's good reputation.



    already on TechTv I saw a graphic of the Apple apple riddled with holes like swiss cheese.



    bummer.
  • Reply 12 of 13
    sailfishsailfish Posts: 163member
    Apple has provided a Software Update



    Repair permissions and apply.
  • Reply 13 of 13
    mpmoriartympmoriarty Posts: 289member
    You know, it was bound to happen. I even expected Mac OS X to start being affected by exploits and such. Every operating system has them. But here is what you look at...



    1) How many exploits are found and the severity of them



    2) How fast Apple plugs these exploits



    3) How much safer the OS is after the security patch.



    Mac OS X is software. Software has holes in it. Apple will fill them up.



    I feel so much safer on Mac OS X than I ever did on Windows.



    Mike
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