Cross-platform browser data leak flaw could be applied to attack reconnaissance

guest · Dec 8, 2020

Cross-platform browser data leak flaw could be applied to attack reconnaissance
December 7, 2020
https://portswigger.net/daily-swig/...law-could-be-applied-to-attack-reconnaissance

Security researchers at Fortinet claim to have uncovered a series of information disclosure vulnerabilities affecting three of the most widely used browsers on the web – Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

The medium severity flaws affect both Windows and Linux systems and stem from leaking URL/protocol handlers.
Mozilla have patched the vulnerability in Firefox (identified as CVE-2020-15680) but neither Microsoft nor Google plan to follow suit.
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A write up of the vulnerability, which effects Firefox prior to version 82, explains: "If a valid external protocol handler was referenced in an image tag, the resulting broken image size could be distinguished from a broken image size of a non-existent protocol handler.

“This allowed an attacker to successfully probe whether an external protocol handler was registered.”
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According to Fortinet, the two vulnerabilities might be leveraged to leak out information about a vast range of installed applications, including the presence of security products on targeted systems.

As such, the security weaknesses might be useful for attack reconnaissance, offering insight to both penetration testers and potential attackers alike.

“When browsers are enabling the interaction with other applications through URL handlers, they may be easing the engagement with third party software, but they also enable a wider attack surface by giving the attacker a chance to attack the user through other applications,” a blog post by Fortinet explains.
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Fortinet: Leaking Browser URL/Protocol Handlers

An important step in any targeted attack is reconnaissance. The more information an attacker can obtain on the victim the greater the chances for a successful exploitation and infiltration. Recently, we uncovered two information disclosure vulnerabilities affecting three of the major web browsers which can be leveraged to leak out a vast range of installed applications, including the presence of security products, allowing a threat actor to gain critical insights on the target.
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