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Thread: Breaking Web Browsers' Trust

  1. #1
    AO's Filibustier Cheap Scotch Ron's Avatar
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    Breaking Web Browsers' Trust

    Is your SSL connection really secure?

    The researchers say that they were able to successfully attack Internet Explorer 7 and 8, Firefox 2 and 3, Opera 9, and Chrome Beta and 1.
    Chen's group uncovered a problem with the way Web browsers display information from Web pages when a secure communications link has been established. They found that most browsers will sometimes treat insecure data as if it's part of the secure protocol. This means that a Web proxy--a machine sitting in between the browser and a website--can issue commands that the browser interprets as coming from a secure website, even if they are not. "In reality, it's very difficult to make sure that you are using a trusted network," he says.

    For example, when a browser requests access to a secure website, the proxy could return a fake error message that the browser displays as genuine. The browser could then be tricked into sending secure messages to both the legitimate server and the malicious proxy.
    http://www.technologyreview.com/web/22682/
    In God We Trust....Everything else we backup.

  2. #2
    Senior Member t34b4g5's Avatar
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    So my ol' faithful k-meleon is not listed. That's fine with me...

  3. #3
    Senior Member JPnyc's Avatar
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    odds are if it's based on the gecko engine, it probably has the same vulnerabilities.

  4. #4
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    So my ol' faithful k-meleon is not listed. That's fine with me...
    It states that the problem was fixed anyway

  5. #5
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    As I read it, they discovered a fundamental design flaw in several browsers produced by different people.

    The question they seem to be asking is are there others that haven't been detected yet?

    I guess it only really matters if you are trying to do something confidential in the type of environment suggested?

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