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Security Hole in Windows' QuickTime Player

Posted by timothy on from the what-are-you-watching dept.

Zonoprh writes "A Security Hole was found in QuickTime player that allows attackers to compromise a user's system with a malicious URL. The hole is fixed in QuickTime 6.1 available here. Until then, hold off on playing "unusually" enticing QT files."

10 of 23 comments (clear)

  1. Section? by cappadocius · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How much good will this do in the Apple section if the bug is in the Windows version?

    --

    omnia tua castra sunt nobis

    1. Re:Section? by DarkRecluse · · Score: 5, Funny

      Perhaps there should be a search topic titled "Security" which would check all sections and articles for known security issues...

      http://slashdot.org/search.pl?topic=172

      Or, ya know, we can just stick a huge fricken padlock right next to the slashdot logo...

      :|

      --
      --"It's Bradford Company, slash your last name, dot your first name"
  2. Only quicktime on Windows is vulnerable by nebbian · · Score: 2, Informative
    So although it's an Apple product, it's really windows where the fault lies. From the article:

    When processing a QuickTime URL, the application is launched in the following manner as can be seen from the Windows registry key HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT/quicktime:

    %PATH TO QUICKTIME%\QuickTimePlayer.exe -u"%1"

    A URL containing 400 characters will overrun the allocated space on the stack overwriting the saved instruction pointer (EIP). This will thereby allow an attacker to redirect the flow of control. An example URL that will cause QuickTime player to crash is:

    quicktime://127.0.0.1/AAAA...

    Where the character 'A' is repeated 400 times.


    Had windows used a decent method of starting applications (instead of some stupid extension to DOS) then this overflow wouldn't happen. Yes, yes, I know, Apple should have checked for this overflow. However 1 kludge + 1 workaround != 1 good system.
    *sigh*
    --
    I am artificially intelligent.
  3. Also a QuickTime on Mac OS X Software Update by Hi+Larry! · · Score: 4, Informative

    QuickTime 6.1.1 is also available on software update. Seems to container mpeg 4 streaming bug fixes.

  4. Um... a bit dated by RalphBNumbers · · Score: 4, Informative

    Since when do notices of security holes that have been fixed for months rate /. articles?

    --
    "The worst tyrannies were the ones where a governance required its own logic on every embedded node." - Vernor Vinge
    1. Re:Um... a bit dated by nettdata · · Score: 4, Funny

      Since when do notices of security holes that have been fixed for months rate /. articles?

      Dude... are you new here?

      ;)

      --



      $0.02 (CDN)
  5. Hold off? by 90XDoubleSide · · Score: 3, Interesting

    until then, hold off on playing "unusually" enticing QT files.Umm... QuickTime 6.1 was released on January 9th; I would think most people would already have this patched.

    --
    "Reality is just a convenient measure of complexity" -Alvy Ray Smith
  6. FUD alert by slittle · · Score: 5, Interesting

    WTF do you mean "extension to DOS"? You mean command line parameters (arguements)? Unix does the same thing. There are plenty of ways around using parameters under Windows, but they're more trouble to code for (IMO) for such a simple task, and not backward compatible - there is nothing wrong with the parameter method as long as idiot programms check their fucking buffers.

    --
    Opportunity knocks. Karma hunts you down.
    1. Re:FUD alert by Col+Bat+Guano · · Score: 3, Interesting

      "as long as idiot programms check their fucking buffers"

      But then the history of programming is one of people not doing the things they should.

      Yes, they should check their buffers, but clearly they don't.

      A bit of defensive programming goes a long way, in all and every bit of software.

  7. For long-term security by Zhe+Mappel · · Score: 4, Funny

    Keep the Quicktime Player. Throw out your copy of Windows.