Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Blogs
    • Security Watch

    Major ISPs Injecting Ads, Vulnerabilities into Entire Web

    By
    Ryan Naraine
    -
    April 19, 2008
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Dan Kaminsky goes WildDNS security guru Dan Kaminsky says the practice by major ISPs to deploy advertising servers within trademarked domains (on error pages, for example) can expose the entire Web to malicious hacker attacks.

      Kaminsky (left), a well-known researcher who helped with the Sony rootkit investigation, says the advertising servers are impersonating, via DNS, hostnames within trademarked domains. “We have determined that these injected servers are, in fact, vulnerable to cross-site scripting attacks. Since these servers are being injected into your trademarked domains, their vulnerability can be used to attack your users and your sites,” Kaminsky said, identifying EarthLink, Verizon and Quest among the ISPs.

      * Photo credit: Dave Bullock (Creative Commons 2.0)

      Kaminsky demonstrated the flaw and discussed the security ramifications at the Toorcon Seattle conference this weekend.

      During his talk, Kaminsky showed (.ppt file) how the vulnerable ad servers could be exploited for:

      1. Arbitrary cookie retrieval. Any Web page on the Internet can retrieve all non-HTTP-only cookies from domains.

      2. Fake site injection. A victim can be directed to “server2.www.realsite.com” or “server3.www.realsite.com,” which will appear to be a host in a trademarked domain. We believe any phishing attempts from this perfect-address spoofed subdomain are more likely to be successful.

      3. Full-page compromise. A victim can be directed to an actual HTTP site, with all logged-in credentials, and a hacker’s attack page will still be able to fully manipulate the target site as if we ourselves were the victim. Note, while we cannot attack HTTPS resources, we can prevent upgrade from HTTP to HTTPS. This may affect any shopping carts within your sites.

      In a statement sent to eWEEK’s SecurityWatch ahead of his talk, Kaminsky said:

      “We believe this behavior is illustrative of the risks of violating Network Neutrality. Indeed, it is our sense that the HTTP web becomes insecurable if man-in-the-middle attacks are monetized by providers — if we don’t know what bits are going to reach the client, how can we control for flaws in those bits?“

      Kaminsky, who worked for penetration testing and consulting firm IOActive, said he was able to use a vulnerability in the search injection framework of Earthlink to partially compromise Microsoft’s Live.com, eBay, the Associated Press, MySpace, Facebook and every other resource on the Web.

      “Whereas Comcast outsources the operation of at least parts of their Washington network to EarthLink (who themselves are using equipment from a company called BareFruit), this is potentially affecting millions of users,” he added.

      Threat Level’s Ryan Singel reported that the BareFruit vulnerability was quietly patched on April 18, 2008, a day before Kaminsky’s talk. More from Brian Krebs at SecurityFix.

      Ryan Naraine

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×