Security Basics mailing list archives

Re: Possible Payload inside PDF or HTML files


From: Danux <danuxx () gmail com>
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 19:57:42 -0500

Thanks in Advance experts only the last question,

is there a way to do the same think (image technique...
src=http://example.com/dd?cgi) but with a email client who is blocking
images?

i dont know... may  be through only txt????

Cheers!!!!

On 6/14/07, Alcides <alcides.hercules () gmail com> wrote:
Yes, exactly.
Moreover there is a variety of tools as well as services that offer
tracing back the sent email with the help of an 'invisible'/ 'small'/
'invisibly small' image embedded in the HTML or PDF or many Opes Source
and commercial document formats like  DOC/ ODT/ SXW/ SDW.

 >> Let me tell you that the HTML file looks like a normal one without
 >> javascript or obfuscation or another malicious payload, only links
 >> and images,

You can verify this with at least 2 approaches.
1-->by simply viewing the source of the html files, look for something
similar to an image pointing to some external link, where -I suppose
your requests for displaying the images, are logged. And
2-->close everything else except your email and check for outbound
connections made from your computer to website/s other than the one you
are checking email from. This can be done by simple 'netstat' command
with relevant switch/es. You can do it with other utilities that show
you details about all active inbound and out bound connections from your PC.
Hope this will help you analyze the situation better.

All the best.



http://emailtrackerpro.visualware.com/
security.xentek wrote:
> There are some rudimentary tracking that can be done in the HTML files,
> by checking the logs on their server for included images or other
> external assets referenced with full URLs. You can also use scripts
> inside the src attribute of img tags, as long as the end result is an
> image content type... This is done quite commonly with HTML emails where
> an img src is that of a PHP script (for instance) that records when the
> script is accessed (and possibly by whom, by coordinating record ids
> with the emails sent and the script doing the recording), but instead of
> returning text or something of that nature, it sets the content-type
> header to image/gif and pushes a 1x1 invisible gif to the client at the
> end of the routine. However the data that can be collected is probably
> very rudimentary as I have mentioned, since they are more than likely
> only recording things like email sent, email opened, and links clicked,
> to aggregate these as stats to measure the campaign, and is a pretty
> standard practice with marketing emails and the delivery providers (such
> as gotcorp or mailchimp).
>
>
>
>
> +    eric m.
> +     http://xentek.net
> + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
>
>
> "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do
> the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no
> safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring
> adventure or nothing." - Helen Keller
>
>
> On Jun 12, 2007, at 8:28 PM, Danux wrote:
>
>> Hi experts,
>>
>> Is there a way to know if exist a payload inside a PDF or HTML File,
>>
>> Let me explain the problem, i marketing company is sending me emails
>> and is able to know if i open, delete, sent to spam or forward the
>> message so i think there is a payload inside that files.
>>
>>
>> Is there a tool to look inside PDF files?
>> Or a Steganos tool to test the images from HTML file?
>>
>> What you think?
>>
>> Thanks in advance
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --Danux, CISSP
>> Chief Information Security Officer
>> Macula Security Consulting Group
>> www.macula-group.com
>
>




--
Danux, CISSP
Chief Information Security Officer
Macula Security Consulting Group
www.macula-group.com


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