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Microsoft's Edge Was Most Hacked Browser At Pwn2Own 2017, While Chrome Remained Unhackable (tomshardware.com)

At the Pwn2Own 2017 hacking event, Microsoft's Edge browser proved itself to be the least secure browser at the event, after it was hacked no less than five times. Google's Chrome browser, on the other hand, remained unhackable during the contest. Tom's Hardware reports: On the first day, Team Ether (Tencent Security) was the first to hack Edge through an arbitrary write in the Chakra JavaScript engine. The team also used a logic bug in the sandbox to escape that, as well. The team got an $80,000 prize for this exploit. On the second day, the Edge browser was attacked fast and furious by multiple teams. However, one was disqualified for using a vulnerability that was disclosed the previous day. (The teams at Pwn2Own are supposed to only use zero-day vulnerabilities that are unknown to the vendor. Two other teams withdrew their entries against Edge. However, Team Lance (Tencent Security) successfully exploited Microsoft's browser using a use-after-free (UAF) vulnerability in Chakra, and then another UAF bug in the Windows kernel to elevate system privileges. The exploit got the team $55,000. Team Sniper (Tencent Security) also exploited Edge and the Windows kernel using similar techniques, which gained this team the same amount of money, as well. The most impressive exploit by far, and also a first for Pwn2Own, was a virtual machine escape through an Edge flaw by a security team from "360 Security." The team leveraged a heap overflow bug in Edge, a type confusion in the Windows kernel, and an uninitialized buffer in VMware Workstation for a complete virtual machine escape. The team hacked its way in via the Edge browser, through the guest Windows OS, through the VM, all the way to the host operating system. This impressive chained-exploit gained the 360 Security team $105,000. The fifth exploit against Edge was done by Richard Zhu, who used two UAF bugs--one in Edge and one in a Windows kernel buffer overflow--to complete the hack. The attack gained Zhu $55,000. At last year's Pwn2Own 2016, Edge proved to be more secure than Internet Explorer and Safari, but it still ended up getting hacked twice. Chrome was only partially hacked once, notes Tom's Hardware.

147 comments

  1. Windows and Edge security by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    are an oxymoron.

    1. Re:Windows and Edge security by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      True. It's also true all the really good hacks are saved for the highest bidder these days.

  2. Wow, for that kind of money... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... they could port all the C code to Pascal/Delphi and be safe ! LOL.

    1. Re:Wow, for that kind of money... by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 1

      Mozilla's thoughts on replacing c/c++ with rust...

    2. Re:Wow, for that kind of money... by Rob+Y. · · Score: 1

      Well, that brings up an obvious question. If Edge is a whole new browser - built, presumably, using the latest, 'safest' coding techniques - what does that say about the ability to make programming languages (or 'standard' techniques for coding in them) safe. After all this time, new code is still more hackable than older - but better tested - code?

      --
      Posted from my Android phone. Oh, I can change this? There, that's better...
  3. Um, Edge is more secure than Chrome... by Biogoly · · Score: 5, Funny

    Or are going to tell me those Windows 10 pop-ups are lying? Hmmm?

    1. Re:Um, Edge is more secure than Chrome... by mykepredko · · Score: 1

      I wish I had mod points. Nice.

    2. Re:Um, Edge is more secure than Chrome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Windows 10: avoid since it spies on you
      Google browser: use it but ignore that Google spies on you like no one else (not just the browser; look at ANY website using noscript and see for yourself).

    3. Re:Um, Edge is more secure than Chrome... by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 1

      Microsoft has a reputation to live up to...

      --
      If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    4. Re: Um, Edge is more secure than Chrome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      I use chrome on Windows so I get the best possible ad experience, since both Microsoft and google get my preferences that way, instead of just one megacompany.

    5. Re:Um, Edge is more secure than Chrome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Those are just alternative pop-ups.

    6. Re:Um, Edge is more secure than Chrome... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Fake Pop-ups and Alternative Ads.. and Synthetic Precidents

    7. Re:Um, Edge is more secure than Chrome... by Samurai+Nigel · · Score: 1

      To be fair, Windows 10 says Edge is more secure than Firefox. (It only says it uses less battery than Chrome.) ;)

  4. But, but. . . by quonset · · Score: 4, Funny

    It gives your laptop better battery life!

    1. Re:But, but. . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's what plants crave.

    2. Re:But, but. . . by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      That's probably true. It's so bereft of features that it probably does take a lot less clock cycles. But then again, if that's the only argument, then Links is probably the hands down best winner, or maybe "telnet wherever.com 80"!

      Microsoft's proclamations about the wonders of its products are beginning to resemble those satirical Monty Python faux-ads about Crelm Toothpaste.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    3. Re:But, but. . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Battery life was a legit beef with Chrome - Chrome had gotten pretty lazy about policing it's processes and tended to let bad javascript/video decoding/etc run unchecked. Modern laptops are efficient but they'll chew up your battery if chrome demands all your cores/threads run full tilt.

      Last few versions of Chrome have gone a long way to tamp down on obvious waste and upcoming features will sleep/suspend unused tabs by default.

    4. Re:But, but. . . by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      I think it's fair to say it "gave" you better battery life.

    5. Re:But, but. . . by Zaatxe · · Score: 1

      But does it have electrolytes?

      --
      So say we all
    6. Re:But, but. . . by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      The battery does.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    7. Re:But, but. . . by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Malware must be getting more efficient.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    8. Re:But, but. . . by Zaatxe · · Score: 1

      Good, because that's what the laptops crave.

      --
      So say we all
    9. Re:But, but. . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      or maybe "telnet wherever.com 80"!

      Cisco might disagree with that one.

  5. do they ever test secure configurations? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    an arbitrary write in the Chakra JavaScript engine. The team also used a logic bug in the sandbox to escape that, as well

    Nobody who gives the first shit about online security is running javascript by default.

    They should test realistic configurations. Javascript disabled, adblock, umatrix, etc. Then let us know what problems are remaining.

    We know javascript drastically increases the attack surface. We've been seeing those exploits every single day for many years.

    1. Re:do they ever test secure configurations? by gweilo8888 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yes, how dare they test things in the default configuration that only 99% of users will be using.

    2. Re:do they ever test secure configurations? by MightyMartian · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Your web experience must be thrilling, kind of like surfing the web in 1995. Christ, just use gopher to get the full glory of the 1990s Internet experience.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    3. Re:do they ever test secure configurations? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nobody who gives the first shit about online security is running javascript by default.

      Expect 99%+ of all end users. You know, the people who need to be protected against attacks like these.

      They should test realistic configurations. Javascript disabled, adblock, umatrix, etc.

      Those configurations are anything but realistic, in the real world, where the actual users of these products live.

  6. to bad you wont let me post here.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    cause ill post one of 3 i have just to show you we whoever we are dont want to tell you, your cia and fbi likely already know them why should we tell you

  7. How come no Russian browsers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Are they stupid or what?

    1. Re:How come no Russian browsers? by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Russia learned a lot on how the CIA got the text to Khrushchev's "On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences" speech https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/....
      Russian staff work on paper files in secure building now.
      Stay in restricted city, town. No way MI6/CIA can get in to offer cash for file.
      In West policy created by party political think tank on web browser connected to internet.
      Many other nations read along in real time as policy correction made and then final document is prepared.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  8. Re:I use chrome by 110010001000 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Why are you running Chrome without an adblocker? I really don't understand people. Use an adblocker, always. Use Ghostery if you are worried about tracking.

  9. Re:I use chrome by geekmux · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...it's hideous how it tracks you.

    I don't have anywhere close to this unnerving tracking with Safari or Firefox.

    You're running a browser created by the same organization who has essentially indexed our digital universe, and turned that into a multi-billion dollar empire.

    At this point, shareholders practically demand perpetuating "hideous" activity.

    The irony here is Chrome users feel more secure than ever.

  10. LOL by mykepredko · · Score: 1

    What else is there to say?

    1. Re:LOL by speedplane · · Score: 2

      What else is there to say?

      I'm starting to feel bad for MS these days. They've gotten so much better and are no longer truly evil, but just can't win.

      --
      Fast Federal Court and I.T.C. updates
    2. Re:LOL by MightyMartian · · Score: 2

      I have Onedrive ads popping up on one of my computers every time a File save dialog opens. Microsoft is the same evil, dirty player it ever was. It just doesn't have penetration on the biggest growth platform, so it's position is more vulnerable.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    3. Re:LOL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "I have Onedrive ads popping up on one of my computers every time a File save dialog opens."
      If you can't stop this popup you best ask someone smarter than you to take care of it. Or do just like to complaining about it.

    4. Re: LOL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You shouldn't have to turn off ads on your fucking computer, there should be no ads.

    5. Re:LOL by serviscope_minor · · Score: 4, Informative

      They've gotten so much better and are no longer truly evil,

      Yeah they are. They have less utter dominance of the PC market, so have less opportunity to be evil in a very public and mustache twirling way, but don't be fooled.

      Take for example SDXC and exFAT. exFAT is a not especially good and not innovative filesystem that exists for the sole purpose for Microsoft to have osme patents on it so they can engage in rent seeking. A great example is mnaging to somehow maniuplate the SD card forum into adopting it so the only compliant cards must use it.

      It's a transparent attempt at both rent seeking and blocking open source software.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
  11. Prep by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm hoping the teams have prepared for weeks or months and they didn't just find these bugs from scratch, meaning they or anyone else could do the same tomorrow.

  12. Firefox? by Gnu+Zealand · · Score: 1

    Does anyone have the results for Ff? Was it included?

    1. Re:Firefox? by Gnu+Zealand · · Score: 2

      No matter; it was in the article. (blush) "Firefox" "Firefox was back at this year’s Pwn2Own after missing last year, seemingly because the browser would’ve been too easy to hack. Things have changed a little since then, though; Firefox has gained some partial sandboxing capabilities. Two hacking attempts were made against Mozilla’s browser during the contest. Only one succeeded through an integer overflow in Firefox and an uninitialized buffer in the Windows kernel to elevate system privileges."

    2. Re:Firefox? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      The Firefox target host ran out of RAM and crashed before it could be p0wned.

    3. Re:Firefox? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Given the rate at which FF finds problems (and to its credit, fixes them), one wonders if they've reached the "nirvana" state of software development - every time you fix one, you introduce one. Then, of course, every new features is so bug-ridden that it takes years to reach a stable state, by which time they change it again.

      Constant Change is something that a Google can do; for a smaller group like FF it's harder. That said, I'd rather use FF than Edge - only use Edge for certain webcasts that for whatever reason won't run on FF.

      And btw the old FF problem of memory bloat as tabs are opened seems to be under control. While there is some expansion, it's not super-linear, and even in the little tablet (2 GB RAM, usually about 1 free above the system) I can have a dozen tabs open without major problems - things do slow down a bit, but not by much. Of course, I do have NoScript helping to keep activity under control...

  13. Re:I use chrome by AHuxley · · Score: 1

    Secure for their ads, not the users.

    --
    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  14. The headline is misleading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The article stated that there was only one hack attempt against Chrome and the time ran out before it could succeed. It's not more secure it just didn't get that much attention. It's more accurate to say that the other browsers (particularly Edge) had exploits known to them and it was more profitable to go at what they believed to be the softer target.

    1. Re:The headline is misleading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No it's not. There's a reason why people don't waste their time with Chome and that's because it's so difficult. So, of course, they're going to spend their time on the easy money targets like Windows and their browser du jour.

    2. Re:The headline is misleading by Pinky's+Brain · · Score: 1

      I prefer to take the capitalist point of view. Chrome exploits are more profitable when sold to criminals (state aligned or free market ones).

  15. Pity, since I can't accept the EULA by Ungrounded+Lightning · · Score: 1

    Google's Chrome browser, on the other hand, remained unhackable during the contest.

    Unfortunately for me, I can't accept Chrome's EULA.

    It incorporates Adobe's, which (if I recall correctly from my AT&T Android-based smartphone) has several clauses I can't abide - including a never-compete, don't block updates, don't work on circumvention tools, we can change the license without notice, ...

    I don't intend to do anything that might come back to limit my future software work or employability. Clicking through such a license (even if every bit of it is struck down by the courts - which I'm not holding my breath expecting), especially on a device that "phones home" in a way that is easily identified with my true name, is an invitation for an all-versus-one gladiatorial match with two multibillion-dollar corporations' legal departments.

    --
    Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
    1. Re:Pity, since I can't accept the EULA by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 1

      Just curious, is the licensing for the open source bits, Chromium, any less scary?

      I do use Firefox as my main browser but keep Chome and/or Edge handy for 'legacy' sites that expect flash. (Oh and not pr0n, things like my university's portal. Amusingly though, the student portal recently popped an error saying Flash 9 was required and wouldn't work in either of those browsers!)

    2. Re:Pity, since I can't accept the EULA by wasteoid · · Score: 1

      I guess you're still using Lynx?

    3. Re:Pity, since I can't accept the EULA by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately for me, I can't accept Chrome's EULA.

      It incorporates Adobe's, which (if I recall correctly from my AT&T Android-based smartphone) has several clauses I can't abide - including a never-compete, don't block updates, don't work on circumvention tools, we can change the license without notice, ...

      I don't intend to do anything that might come back to limit my future software work or employability.

      There is a distinct difference between a rational concern and paranoia. This is the later.

      paranoia : a tendency on the part of an individual or group toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    4. Re:Pity, since I can't accept the EULA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      When you say paranoia, are you referring to the parent poster or the EULA?

      "including a never-compete, don't block updates, don't work on circumvention tools, we can change the license without notice"

      The EULA sounds paranoid of its users.

    5. Re:Pity, since I can't accept the EULA by OpenSourced · · Score: 2

      don't work on circumvention tools

      So that's how Chrome remains unhackable!

      --
      Rome taught me patience and assiduous application to detail. Virtues which temper the boldness of great, general views.
  16. Bugs du jour by nuntius · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Interesting how well-known issues such as use-after-free, heap overflow, type confusion, and uninitialized memory are still common attack vectors.

    Seems to support the arguments for efficient, type-safe languages such as Rust.

    1. Re:Bugs du jour by ckatko · · Score: 0

      And then they'd just attack the run-time/garbage collector.

    2. Re:Bugs du jour by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Rust doesn't have a GC, or much of a runtime really.

      Also, I imagine the entire rust standard library + anything you might call a run-time is drastically less code than Edge, and can be secured once, instead of for each application.

    3. Re:Bugs du jour by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why are you commenting if you don't know the first thing about Rust? It doesn't have a GC.

    4. Re:Bugs du jour by AmiMoJo · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Chrome is mostly C, and it's the only one that didn't get hacked. Relying on type-safe languages doesn't seem to be as important as designing your app to be secure from the ground up.

      Chrome is actually a pretty impressive bit of engineering. It's extremely secure, but also extremely fast. It takes unchecked, often malicious data as an input and safely and quickly displays it. There is even a high performance scripting language built in. Apparently this is quite a hard thing to do as well, since everyone else keeps failing at it.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    5. Re:Bugs du jour by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Chrome is mostly C

      And by C, I think you meant, C++.

    6. Re:Bugs du jour by MrVictor · · Score: 1

      The idea of Rust is cool but in real life it sucks

      - Is a Mozilla creation -> strike one
      - More articles written about it than there is code -> strike 2
      - Unsafe Rust must be used extensively in any sizeable project which renders all proselytizing about memory safety moot -> strike 3

    7. Re:Bugs du jour by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Where do they keep all the excess C--?

  17. IE is nothing but an adware by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don't forget how Netscape lost its battle, thanks to despicable Microsoft.

  18. Here come all of the Indians hired to to do PR by marcgvky · · Score: 2, Funny

    And the bulk of comments will be that Microsoft is so wonderful, in spite of the mega-awful flaws.... we love it! Right?

    1. Re: Here come all of the Indians hired to to do PR by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

      Great shilling, Pajeet! 2 rupees have been deposited into your loo.

    2. Re: Here come all of the Indians hired to to do PR by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      R.T.F.L.M.

    3. Re: Here come all of the Indians hired to to do PR by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Perfect example of what paper certs look like in common language. Once you get experience working on Microsoft servers you will realize that they bork themselves with no external influence so often that you spend more time looking at strings of numbers with the letters "kb" at the end than actually supporting your employer's needs.

    4. Re:Here come all of the Indians hired to to do PR by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      And the bulk of comments will be that Microsoft is so wonderful

      You must be new here.

    5. Re: Here come all of the Indians hired to to do PR by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As an Indian, I can't stop laughing at this comment. Mod the parent up!!

    6. Re: Here come all of the Indians hired to to do PR by EndlessNameless · · Score: 1

      How does your staff support VIP and execs that need access to internally and externally hosted shared calendars across iphones, android and windows pc outlook clients?

      VPN.

      Or use a web- or cloud-based application---you can still enjoy single sign-on with federation.

      How do you remotely wipe phones and laptops when an employee is terminated, and verify backups prior to issuing the wipe if needed?

      Every platform has a way to do this, including iPhone, Android, and Linux. Windows is not special.

      What process do you use to audit pc clients are patched to required compliance levels?

      Windows has no native capability to do this. You are either paying for System Center or using a third-party solution.

      People will real patching requirements cannot use the "free" WSUS since it only patches MS products and leaves other software completely unmanaged. No matter what, you have to spend money to fulfill this requirement.

      And how long would it take to hire and on board two new IT staff for $75k each (more in nyc, sf) to administer that solution set?

      As I've indicated, you need non-native tools to secure and manage Windows at the enterprise level. You will always need more than a random MCP if you're serious about security.

      My employer has no issues finding competent staff.

      --

      ---
      According to the latest ruleset, this post should be modded as Vorpal Flamebait +5.
  19. Chinese? by speedplane · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Is it just me, or was every single winner in pwn2own asian? Here's the youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

    It's not entirely clear what Asian country everyone is from (or perhaps they're Asian-American), but assuming none of them are from the U.S., it should make those in government U.S. cybersecurity a bit anxious, and perhaps give pause to our new-found love of immigration restrictions.

    --
    Fast Federal Court and I.T.C. updates
    1. Re:Chinese? by ckatko · · Score: 4, Insightful

      US intelligence is already shitting their pants over the "failure of the last decade" if you wanted the last C-SPAN Senate hearing about the Russian/Trump thing. Seriously, watch it. It's pretty insightful (a thousand times more depth than the shit headlines CNN/MSNBC/et al are running.)

    2. Re:Chinese? by Zontar_Thing_From_Ve · · Score: 1

      It's not entirely clear what Asian country everyone is from (or perhaps they're Asian-American), but assuming none of them are from the U.S., it should make those in government U.S. cybersecurity a bit anxious, and perhaps give pause to our new-found love of immigration restrictions.

      Unlikely. The people that are in love with the restrictions don't really want anybody coming over. I have an Asian friend who lives on the other coast of the US from me. She's ethnically Chinese but immigrated by marriage from her home country to the USA. She's told me some recent stories about having white women make very prejudiced remarks towards her both at work and while shopping. And keep in mind that she's not Muslim so none of this is caused by religious wear like a hijab. People who voted for Trump are no longer afraid to hide their prejudices any more. I see some pretty shocking stuff on Facebook from a small number of people I know along these lines.

    3. Re:Chinese? by jbmartin6 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Tencent (3 of the winning teams) is a Chinese company, the dominant player in chat/communications in China. Owns both WeChat and QQ. Not surprising they would field a strong hacking team.

      --
      This posting is provided 'AS IS' without warranty of any kind, implied or otherwise.
    4. Re:Chinese? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Far Eastern countries just invested more in developing cyber security talent, that's all.

      Immigration restrictions won't help you, the internet is global and the only countries that has an effective cyber border are all Far Eastern.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    5. Re:Chinese? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Owns both WeChat and QQ.

      And also Riot Games (creators of League of Legends)

    6. Re:Chinese? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't suppose you'd go to the trouble of digging up and posting a link to that hearing?

    7. Re:Chinese? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've seen nothing of the sort, and am married to a minority as well as being friends with many, some of whom are muslim. Trump winning the presidency didn't cause or change anything. It's only a "thing" now because people are making it a thing. In most of those cases it seems to have been either always there and they didn't acknowledge it until "not their candidate" won (and it must be his fault!), or things they think are prejudiced remarks have nothing to do with their ethnicity or beliefs but they take it that way because they're encouraged to be hypersensitive to it. But, no. "Trump supporters are all racists and bigots" is your message, so that's what you're here to endorse. I voted for Trump, and I have many minority friends and many in my family due to my relationship. My family are all Trump supporters, and they are in the same situation. Sure, there are racist and bigoted Trump supporters, but there certainly are plenty that were supporters of every other single candidate too (who'd have thought... big groups contain big varieties of people!??).

  20. Re:I use chrome by darkain · · Score: 1

    Or just use Opera, which is basically Chrome Stable (none of the bullshit blind A/B testing Google does on their "stable" branch that breaks shit), has built in ad blocker, and built in VPN. The best of all worlds!

  21. I hate Chrome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And I hate Google rattling my cage on a daily basis after I have said "NO THANKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!" about 10 thousand times.

    But hey, it is no surprise that Edge got hacked more often, simply because it has not had the time to become hardened like Chrome has.

    Recently I switched to Opera because it runs nicely on Ubuntu and Windows 10, and I have to say that I really like it. The sync across platforms is awesome and it is faaaaaaast.

  22. Chome remained unhackable? by ColaMan · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Chrome might have remained unhackable.

    Or quite possibly people can get more money for their Chrome exploits elsewhere, so they naturally don't want to submit - and then lose - good exploits here in this competition.

    --

    You are in a twisty maze of processor lines, all alike.
    There is a lot of hype here.
    1. Re:Chome remained unhackable? by Actually,+I+do+RTFA · · Score: 1

      Or, as noted, the rules prevented some hacks from being used. Maybe all the Chrome hacks fell into that category.

      --
      Your ad here. Ask me how!
    2. Re:Chome remained unhackable? by StormReaver · · Score: 2

      Or quite possibly people can get more money for their Chrome exploits elsewhere....

      The same could be said for Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. The more likely explanation is that Chrome is just more secure than the other browsers, and that Edge is just as bad as Internet Explorer (which makes sense, since Microsoft is incapable of making a decent Web browser).

    3. Re:Chome remained unhackable? by AmiMoJo · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Why couldn't they also claim the bug bounty? Google has a non-public submission process, so just submit your report a few days before the event to claim the bug bounty and then use it in the competition. Google aren't going to patch it in that time frame, and besides the version to be used is announced in advance.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    4. Re:Chome remained unhackable? by doug141 · · Score: 1

      An interesting point. Is it possible that Microsoft's recent boasting about Edge security attracted hackers this year? Can the public discern relative browser security from Pwn2Own? Those NSA leaks had NSA opinions on various anti-virus programs... I wonder if there's anything in there about browsers.

  23. Not unexpected with a name like "Chakra" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If it has a name like "Chakra", it's bound to have been written by pooinloo Indians renowned for their shitty code full of security holes. Never trust or hire a Pajeet.

  24. That's not news by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 1

    That something from Microsoft is an insecure PoS is not news - it is business as usual. Consider yourself middle-fingered, Microsoft.

  25. So.... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

    Class action over the "Edge is the most secure browser" popups in Win 10?

    --
    APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    1. Re:So.... by coofercat · · Score: 1

      There's a qualifier which is "Edge is the most secure browser *from Microsoft*". Making something less terrible than IE wasn't especially hard, but they're still trying.

    2. Re:So.... by BronsCon · · Score: 1

      Except for the fact that you're flat out wrong, whereas I merely paraphrased in order to fit several different messages (as it changes based on which browser you're launching) into a single terse statement. Microsoft never used that qualifier; they did, however, say Edge is safer than Chrome and Firefox. Funny, I've never seen that popup for IE, Opera, or any other browser that isn't Chrome or Firefox.

      But, they did specifically call out those two... then proceed to lose to them at Pwn2Own.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
  26. Re:But Edge is still new compared to the others by BronsCon · · Score: 1

    You mean like the perspective they cast by popping up an "Edge is the most secure browser" message every time you click a Chrome or Firefox icon in Win 10?

    --
    APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
  27. The teams found out 3 months ago Chrome was secure by raymorris · · Score: 2

    The teams didn't just decide that morning "hey let's compete in Pwn2Own today". They prepared months in advance, testing all the browsers to see what they could do. Perhaps a month or two before the event, they decided which browser they had the best exploits for, the browser they would focus on during the actual competition.

    All the teams but one learned from their testing that they wouldn't be able to hack Chrome. One team thought it was their best chance and that team failed.

  28. There is a basic reason, Edge has no community by Ilgaz · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Edge isn't open source, it has no developer community, no user community like Firefox who will mercilessly bash it until it goes the right direction, no incentive to be secure.

      You can steal millions from Google with a basic, unpublished cookie hack as they are the largest advertising company on planet. So, they are damn careful about their code. Chromium which eventually ends up to be Chrome has its own community. Additionally, there is a huge privacy fanatic user community, developer community in Mozilla.

    Edge is a browser which comes with the OS, nothing else.

    1. Re:There is a basic reason, Edge has no community by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 1

      Edge isn't open source

      Its Javascript Engine is. It isn't clear from the article where exactly the vulnerabilities lay but potentially opening up the code to "many eyes" may have provided a way in, whereas crafting a Pwn without the source might have previously been trickier.

    2. Re:There is a basic reason, Edge has no community by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I for one HATE the direction Firefox is going. From the horrible interface change in 29 (look mommy, I'm chrome now!) to their insistence on filling it with bloat that nobody wants or needs, to soon forcing use of fucking pulseaudio (which WILL be the showstopper for me) to time after time telling us they've fixed the memory leaks when they haven't, and literally 50 other things they've chosen to do in the past few years.

      I see people talking about Opera. I haven't used it for many years, but it's looking like I'll be finally forced to dump FF for something else, so maybe I'll try that.

      I'd consider using chromium, but it seems to choke on more than a few tabs, and it certainly won't handle 200.

    3. Re:There is a basic reason, Edge has no community by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That isn't the way things work. Closed source software is often much easier to hack... because fewer eyes have seen in, fixing the little and not so little things. Its hard to beat the quality that comes from having a piece of code looked over by 100s and in some cases 1000s of individual programmers.

      Open source is almost always more secure. Nothing is perfect. In the case of chrome though that code starts out in the pure open source project and gets beat up and looked at by thousands of eyes. By the time it makes its way into Chrome its pretty much secure, or at least much more then a closed code project. The longer an open source project is around and being heavily contributed to the more polished it gets. Of course as someone else mentioned as well Google actually pays well for such info so some people may have held their chrome sploits for a more lucrative use. I would tend to bed on edge just being that bad though. :)

    4. Re:There is a basic reason, Edge has no community by Bert64 · · Score: 1

      But opening up the code doesn't put edge at a disadvantage, it only serves to level the playing field relative to its main competitors which are both open source.

      --
      http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
    5. Re:There is a basic reason, Edge has no community by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Edges HTML engine seems to be WebKit.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    6. Re: There is a basic reason, Edge has no community by Ilgaz · · Score: 1

      No it isn't, it is compatible and somehow similar to WebKit but not really WebKit. It requires a real paradigm shift for MS to adopt WebKit. MS says one shouldn't worry about site compatibility if it works with Apple Safari. I think it creates the confusion.

      I actually like simple browsers using native OS functions and use less energy & CPU but not being open source and multi platform kills whole advantage.

    7. Re: There is a basic reason, Edge has no community by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Well,
      I'm working with Edge and Chrome in software development.
      The "Developer Tools" in Edge look exactly the same as in Chrome and Safari. I check tomorrow again, I doubt there is even a single pixel difference. So I assumed Edge was based on WebKit, too.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
  29. Bad title by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Calling something unhackable but not mentioning the contest parameters is basically advertising for Chrome. Chrome is not unhackable and a lot of people may read only the title and download Chrome over it. The last thing we need is to feed the Chrome user ego. Chrome phones home to google constantly. I'm sure there's a non zero day exploit out there, especially when so many people use it. It wouldn't make since as a hacker to not target it otherwise. Bad title.

    1. Re:Bad title by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bad Engrish

  30. Re:I use chrome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How are you going to avoid tracking when every time you go to a url or change ip chrome sends information to 1e100.net. The browser has built in tracking.

  31. Re:I use chrome by t0y · · Score: 1

    Use Ghostery if you are worried about tracking.

    And don't forget to disable ghostery's tracking.

  32. Re:I use chrome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you look at all comments by user goombah99 ( 560566 ) it becomes clear that h/she is not trolling and has made several comments that were modded up. The fact that this post was modded down and tagged with TROLL most likely points to Google shills.

  33. Re:But Edge is still new compared to the others by f3rret · · Score: 1

    You mean like the perspective they cast by popping up an "Edge is the most secure browser" message every time you click a Chrome or Firefox icon in Win 10?

    That doesn't happen though, but cool of you to say it does

    --
    Admit nothing. Deny Everything. Make Counter-accusations.
  34. Re:I use chrome by l20502 · · Score: 1

    built in VPN

    You mean built in connection to it's chinese overlords?

  35. Edge by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I've said it before at my office, leave it to Microsoft to make a web browser that is worse than Internet Explorer.

  36. Best adblocker works on any browser by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject & APK Hosts File Engine 9.0++ SR-7 32/64-bit https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&biw=&bih=&q=%22APK+Hosts+File+Engine%22+and+%22start64%22&btnG=Google+Search&gbv=1/

    Ads/script & malware rob speed/security/privacy

    Hosts add speed (via hardcodes/adblocks), security (vs. bad sites/malware/poisoned dns), reliability (vs. dns down), & anonymity (vs. dns requestlogs/trackers).

    Less power/cpu/ram + IO use vs. DNS/routers/addons/antivirus + less security bugs/complexity & faster vs. addons/routers/remote dns!

    Avoids DNSChangers in routers/IP settings & dns redirects (99.999% of ISP DNS != patched vs. it) + lightens DNS load & resolves faster from local system RAM!

    * Via what u NATIVELY have built into the IP stack in FASTER kernelmode!

    APK

    P.S. - Safe https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/e01211ca36aa02e923f20adee0a3c4f5d5187dc65bdf1c997b3da3c2b0745425/analysis/1433430542/

    1. Re: Best adblocker works on any browser by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seriously, what the fuck do you gain out of advertising your shitty program? And using big local hosts files is in fact slower than DNS because your resolver has to iterate through it with every request.

    2. Re: Best adblocker works on any browser by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Being reasonable with him does no good. The dickwad that invoked him should be beaten with a rubber hose.

  37. Re:I use chrome by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    Do you have any evidence that Chrome tracks you if you disable the safe browsing and navigation assistance stuff?

    I always ask the same question and never get any evidence. All I want is some proof that if you tell Chrome not to track you, it does anyway.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  38. Re:But Edge is still new compared to the others by BronsCon · · Score: 1

    Oh, you've never seen it? I may have paraphrased, because the message is slightly different depending on which browser you're launching, but, well, it happens. In fact, it was reported here back in November.

    --
    APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
  39. Underpaid researchers by Robert+Goatse · · Score: 2

    $105K for 3 zero days for the VMWare escape sounds hideously low. I bet those guys could get 10x that amount 'somewhere else'.

    1. Re:Underpaid researchers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Would that somewhere else be legal?

    2. Re:Underpaid researchers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, if you don't get caught.

  40. Re:I use chrome by kilodelta · · Score: 2

    There's no reason to run a browser without AdBlock and ScriptSafe. That would be my minimum.

  41. Re: I use chrome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Maybe the other posts were updated by Firefox shills and this here is the true moderation deserved?

  42. Re:I use chrome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The great irony here is that a great many people not using chrome because it "tracks you" then turn around and use a single public dns resolver on their network.

  43. Re:I use chrome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Or maybe he sounds like an idiot who can't configure and use a browser properly, so no one wants to listen to his crap.

  44. Re:But Edge is still new compared to the others by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Perhaps it happens in Windows 10 with all the defaults turned on. No thinking person would set it up that way. I normally use FF and don't see that ad.

  45. Chrome is terrible by slashmydots · · Score: 1

    If you install a completely not blocked at all malware add on to Chrome as an extension, it will not only remain unblocked because Google doesn't give a shit but it will also automatically propogate itself or at least its settings to all your other devices that run Chrome. Isn't that convenient!

  46. Tor browser is built on Firefox by davsi · · Score: 1

    Given their interest in security and privacy, I'd say this is a significant fact.

  47. Swartz. Mitnick. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The iron fist of congress calls those in computer science who stray "terrorists." This country deserves no hackers.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Mitnick

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randal_L._Schwartz

    The list is already too long.

  48. Re:I use chrome by chihowa · · Score: 1

    Putting trust in corporations is stupid and trusting an advertising company (whose core business model is tracking people and building dossiers on them) to not track you is equally stupid. I don't have any evidence that they're tracking you, but you don't have any evidence that they're not and tracking you would fit their MO perfectly.

    Do what you want -- nobody cares -- but there's nothing unreasonable about distrusting Google, even in the absence of hard evidence.

    --
    If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
  49. Re: I use chrome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Where's APK when ya need him.

  50. RequestPolicy Ghostery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just saying
    ReqeustPolicy allows fine grained control of every external request.

  51. So slashdot removes 'greater than' sign from title by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How lame

  52. Re: I use chrome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Damn you!

  53. Re: I use chrome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You have no business using a computer if you don't know of any ways to solve that even if it were true.

  54. Chrome is most certainly not unhcakable. by PJ6 · · Score: 1

    I saw a fully patched, up-to-date machine get rooted via Chrome from a malicious website not two months ago.

    Run it in a sandbox.

    Run all browsers in a sandbox, even if they say they already have one built in.

  55. Re: But Edge is still new compared to the others by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I thought he was just disputing the "every time" comment, which clearly isn't "every time". If its happening every time, you're doing something wrong, like not setting a default browser.

  56. WRONG: Hardcoded favorites @ top of hosts by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: Where folks spend most time online hardcoded fav sites @ top of hosts cached in local system RAM = fastest stupid!

    * Even faster than traversing a LOCAL LAN for DNS (full of security holes galore & this is ONLY PARTIAL https://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=9007355&threshold=-1&commentsort=0&mode=thread&pid=51969075/ let alone REMOTE DNS (full of security issues shown in that link).

    APK

    P.S.=> So, after shutting your dumb ass down SO easily, what do YOU have to gain Mr. Advertiser/malwaremaker-botnet herder OR inferior inefficient competitor? Nothing - you just lose on facts... apk

  57. LMAO - eat your words unidentifiable dimwit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See my subject & https://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=10392077&cid=54094565/ & yes my program generates them.

    APK

    P.S.=> A good 96++% of the time hosts ARE faster & safer (as well as more reliable) than DNS (especially remote with all its security issues galore) stupid... apk

  58. Re: But Edge is still new compared to the others by pahosler · · Score: 1

    I have Win10 pro on my laptop, I've never seen a pop up from M$. I only used Edge long enough to install Chrome. My laptop is an older Lenovo R61 that never just sipped electrons anyway. Other than Chrome I haven't done any mods or disabled any services.

  59. Re: But Edge is still new compared to the others by BronsCon · · Score: 1

    You could have read the rest of the thread before posting and found an example of exactly what I'm talking about, including a screenshot and a link to where it was reported here in November. That would have been a good alternative to making yourself look like a MS shill by claiming that, since it doesn't happen to you, it must not happen at all.

    --
    APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
  60. Re:I use chrome by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why are you running Chrome without an adblocker? I really don't understand people. Use an adblocker, always. Use Ghostery if you are worried about tracking.

    ghostery is sketchy these days especially. They do tracking and data mining themselves, plenty of alternatives to block scripts, beacons and so on so I agree with the point, I just don't like ghostery but in the past I didn't mind it. For adblockers ABP seems the popular although it gets circumvented by a lot of things plus they let "unobtrusive" stuff through and I prefer Ublock origin (except in palemoon)

  61. Additionally by avoiding DNS security issues? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Additionally by avoiding DNS security issues, I avoid TRACKING it allows via my program (by avoiding DNS) http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/03/21/dns_records_more_revealing_than_you_think_says_german_boffin/

    * It also, as a bonus, LIGHTENS DNS LOAD (& dns goes down QUITE A LOT)...

    APK

    P.S.=> Hilarious - you CAN'T WIN against truth & hard verifiable concrete undeniable facts - especially these regarding 100's of SECURITY ISSUES in DNS my program avoids (& goes faster out of local system RAM too for resolution for where users spend MOST TIME online) https://news.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=9007355&threshold=-1&commentsort=0&mode=thread&pid=51969075/ as well as DNS inefficiency issues... apk

    1. Re:Additionally by avoiding DNS security issues? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      actually your software is quite a bit inferior. the ads you yourself spam all over slashdot can be blocked with adblocking rules. they cannot be blocked with host file modifications. I could use your software to block a bunch of ad hosts, I could then use adblock on top of that to block inline spam like yours. Why would I, as a user, use two solutions when I can use one? The fact is, for me, as a user, I both methods block ads. yours blocks less. guess which one I and all the non-autistic people are going to pick?

  62. /.ers disagree & adblock = inferior by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm going to continue using the Host File Engine. Your software is well written, functional. The Host File Engine performs exactly as promised by mmell

    his hosts program is actually pretty good by xenotransplant

    I've never tried to belittle (APK's) work, I've flat out said it's good by BronsCon

    take a look at the APK hosts file engine by SuperKendall

    APK is kinda right. I've tried his hosts file generating software. It works by bmo

    I like your host file system by Karmashock

    I find your hosts file admirable by vel-ex-tech

    his hosts tool is actually useful for those cases in which one does indeed want to locally block stuff outright while consuming minimum system resources by alexgieg

    * Recommended & hosted by Malwarebytes' hpHosts!

    APK

    P.S.=> Adblock does ZERO vs. DNS issues & uses more by far, doing less + is sold out to not work by default on ALL ads & is slower... apk

  63. Difference between secure and private by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So Chrome is probably more secure, but obviously less concerned about privacy. Edge to me is a OK browser but even if nobody was able to hack it, I doubt that all of a sudden everyone would switch to it. There is far more basic reasons people use a certain browser that being most secure or includes better privacy protection. After all Firefox claims it protects users privacy better, but their dwindling user base has obviously not been helped by this claim. Nor has the sketchy privacy policies hurt Google's Chrome browser become the top browser by huge numbers. IE was another example of being very popular for years, even though it was constantly riddled with attacks and exploits. Picking a browser is probably more mundane and involves running on many operating systems, a good syncing ability and compatibility with web sites. Does anyone really give a shit about battery life? Obviously not many, which is why I never understood Microsoft sales pitch about Edge.