New URL Spoofing Bug in Pre-SP2 IE

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New URL Spoofing Bug in Pre-SP2 IE

Posted by CowboyNeal on Saturday October 30, 2004 @04:41AM from the reasons-to-upgrade dept.

An anonymous reader writes "According to Netcraft a new security flaw has been found in Microsoft Internet Explorer which makes it possible to spoof a URL with just some simple HTML code, by enclosing two URLs and a table within a single href tag. The user will be sent to one site, but the status bar will show a fake URL. The bug apparently affects IE and Outlook Express up to but not including SP2. Firefox and Konqueror seem unaffected."

30 of 266 comments (clear)

Comment removed by account_deleted · 2004-10-30 04:43 · Score: 5, Informative

Comment removed based on user account deletion
Safari is affected also by dereklam · 2004-10-30 04:44 · Score: 5, Informative

This exploit also affects Safari 1.2.3 on Panther.
1. Re:Safari is affected also by v1 · 2004-10-30 04:52 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Doesn't appear so here.
  
  I just tested their spoof http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2004/10/29/new_u rl_spoofing_flaw_found_in_internet_explorer.html with Safari 1.2 (v125) and it shows 'google.com' in the address bar. I also tested Internet Explorer 5.2.3 on my mac and it also shows 'google.com' in the address bar.
  
  So it would appear that the mac is (at least for the two main browsers of choice) not affected by this security hole.
  
  --
  I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
Patch by Anonymous Coward · 2004-10-30 04:45 · Score: 3, Funny

Patch available here
1. Re:Patch by Anonymous Coward · 2004-10-30 05:04 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  http://www.microsoft.com
Safari by P-Nuts · 2004-10-30 04:46 · Score: 4, Informative

Worryingly, Safari is also fooled by the bug - the status bar shows http://www.microsoft.com/ before you click on the link, but the address bar in the resulting window correctly shows http://www.google.com/.
A sample of what it looks like by grahamsz · 2004-10-30 04:51 · Score: 4, Informative

http://graha.ms/iesploit.html

Doesn't seem like anything that couldn't be done with javascript.
Sort of ... by Dlugar · 2004-10-30 04:54 · Score: 4, Insightful

Just tested it with Opera 7.54 for Linux ... if you mouseover the actual text, "google.com" shows in the status bar, but if you position your cursor just exactly so that it's kinda over the URL, but not over any of the text, then you can get "microsoft.com" to show.

But I'm kind of confused as to why this is a big deal ... can't you just use Javascript to rewrite the status bar anyway?

Dlugar

--
Computer Go: Writing Software to Play the Ancient Game of Go
1. Re:Sort of ... by Captain+Splendid · 2004-10-30 05:08 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Well, a semi-savvy IE user could have javascript turned off...but yeah, this strikes me as no big deal either, just another slam at IE.
  
  --
  Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
Re:Safari Affected? by BandwidthHog · 2004-10-30 04:55 · Score: 3, Informative

Yes. Safari 1.2.3 (v125.9) is vulnerable on my fully patched (with the exception of the latest QT, as I'm something of an uptime whore) 10.3.5 machine. The status bar showed microsoft.com when hovering over the link on Netcraft's advisory page.

And in launching Safari to check, I was reminded once more how much more smoothly it scrolls than Firefox. Damn shame, that.

--

Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
Re:Safari Affected? by caerwyn · 2004-10-30 04:57 · Score: 3, Informative

Safari *is* affected at 1.2.3 v125.9. Look at the status bar as you mouse-over the link before clicking; that's there the exploit is. This is not the same as previous exploits that showed a fake URL in the actual URL bar.

The link says www.microsoft.com, mousing over it pops up www.microsoft.com in the status bar in the lower left corner of the window. Clicking the link results in a page at google (with google url in the URL bar).

--
The ringing of the division bell has begun... -PF
Re:Safari Affected? by bmoore · 2004-10-30 04:59 · Score: 4, Informative

Interesting... VERY interesting... I also have Safari 1.2.3, v125.9. When I hover my mouse over the link, it shows www.microsoft.com in the status bar. If I click the link, I go to google, but if I r-click and choose "Open Link in New Tab" (or new window) I go to www.microsoft.com.

Odd. Very odd. Hopefully Apple will arrange for some consistency in operation soon.
IE users.. by Xeo+024 · 2004-10-30 05:00 · Score: 5, Informative

To test the URL simply right-click it and it'll display the real URL, if that doesn't work right-click it and go to properties.
But your best bet would be to either update or switch to an unaffected browser.
What's worse? by nile_list · 2004-10-30 05:01 · Score: 5, Interesting

What's worse? IE being vulnerable to spoofed URLs because of malformed HTML, or Firefox crashing because of the same thing?

--
Gnash Gnash Gnash
affected my Safari :-( by quacking+duck · 2004-10-30 05:02 · Score: 4, Insightful

Just tried it myself on Safari v125.9 on 10.3.5; unfortunately the spoof worked.

Hovering over the actual link showed microsoft.com in the status bar, but clicking it did indeed go to google.

However, I can click outside the link on the same line (thanks to the table spanning the entire width of the article box), and it'll go to microsoft.com as indicated in the status bar when howevering over the line.
Anyway, if we recall... by SILIZIUMM · 2004-10-30 05:03 · Score: 3, Informative

Last january, Microsoft Advised to Type in URLs Rather than Click. You have been warned early, consider yourself lucky !
Goatse... by SILIZIUMM · 2004-10-30 05:06 · Score: 3, Funny

Too bad the original goatse.cx is down, that could be fun. "Hey Jim, check that financial report!"... At least we have mirrors...
It SORT OF affects SP2! by SnprBoB86 · 2004-10-30 05:13 · Score: 4, Informative

With my SP2 system I naviagated to http://graha.ms/iesploit.html/ and hovered over the link. This is what I discovered:

If you place the mouse on the link it shows the link will take you to google as it should, but if you place the mouse just outside the link (I guess on the table border) it says microsoft. The kicker is, that when it says Microsoft, clicking the link will not do anything.

--
http://brandonbloom.name
Safari goes to wrong place by goynang · 2004-10-30 05:13 · Score: 4, Insightful

Safari goes to the wrong URL too.

Just tried the demo and ended up at Google rather than where the link looked like it should go.

Damn!
Konqueror unaffected also by c0p0n · 2004-10-30 05:16 · Score: 3, Informative

Konkeror on KDE 3.3.1 draws a transparent table (the one faked on the link) around the link, being both (the link and a small space outside the text link) clickable, but with different destinations. The resulting window (either google or microsoft) has no spoofed url.

--

Your head a splode
Comment removed by account_deleted · 2004-10-30 05:20 · Score: 3, Interesting

Comment removed based on user account deletion
Status bar? by FearUncertaintyDoubt · 2004-10-30 05:21 · Score: 4, Insightful

I can see how this is a bug, and should be fixed, but how big of a security risk is it really? I think anyone aware enough to look at the status bar will probably look at the address bar in the browswer, which will show the real URL. So, yes, the status bar spoof might get someone to click, but they can't spoof the address bar, and a phishing scam would fall apart at that point.
You might as well say that links themselves are a security risk, since a link that says "Microsoft Web Site" but really goes to goatse.cx is a dangerous spoof.
Firefox 1.0RC1 **IS** affected by Ark42 · 2004-10-30 05:28 · Score: 5, Informative

Change the html from
<a href="http://www.microsoft.com/"><table><tr><td><a href="http://www.google.com/">http://www.microsoft .com</td></tr></table></a>
to
<a href="http://www.microsoft.com/"><table><tr><td><a href="http://www.google.com/">http://www.microsoft .com</a></td></tr></table></a&gt ;

(sorry, Extrans mode is breaking the last </a> for some reason there)

and you will notice the status bar says microsoft.com, and clicking it goes to microsoft.com, but middle click for a new tab, and you get google, not what the status bar says!

--
Morphing Software
1. Re:Firefox 1.0RC1 **IS** affected by Deviate_X · 2004-10-30 06:02 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  That didn't work in my 1.0PR (Win) but this did:
  
  <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/" onclick="location.href='http://www.google.com/';
  return false">
  http://www.microsoft.com
  </a> ...
2. Re:Firefox 1.0RC1 **IS** affected by JPriest · 2004-10-30 06:43 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  So Firefox is affected and IE SP2 is not. This story is just more MS bashing FUD.
  
  --
  Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
3. Re:Firefox 1.0RC1 **IS** affected by FuzzyBad-Mofo · 2004-10-30 06:56 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Which is exactly the reason Mozilla/Firefox offers the option whether or not to allow Javascript to control to status bar, something that's been available for ages.
Re:Come on people! by secolactico · 2004-10-30 05:29 · Score: 5, Funny

That's nothing. *My* father installed SP2 against my recommendation, and the next day a burglar broke into his house and stole most of the silverware!

Since installing firefox, nobody has broken into his house again.

--
No sig
How ironic by ptlis · 2004-10-30 05:50 · Score: 3, Interesting

IE's ability to parse anything meant it survived the problems which caused both Opera and Firefox to crash has also made this nastiness possible...

--
There's mischief and malarkies but no queers or yids or darkies within this bastard's carnival, this vicious cabaret.
How do you find something like this by ManuelKelly · 2004-10-30 05:56 · Score: 3, Insightful

Is something like this discovered by accident, or is some poor person sitting at a desk coding weird html all day to see what happens?
Re:Pre SP2? by dn15 · 2004-10-30 06:37 · Score: 3, Funny

What does this mean for Windows 2000 users?
It means they should get Firefox.
;)