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Groups > comp.lang.java.programmer > #21352 > unrolled thread

U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate

Started byemf <emfril@gmail.com>
First post2013-01-12 07:48 -0500
Last post2013-01-15 14:34 -0800
Articles 5 on this page of 25 — 11 participants

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  U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate emf <emfril@gmail.com> - 2013-01-12 07:48 -0500
    Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-01-12 09:05 -0500
      Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate RVic <rvince99@hotmail.com> - 2013-01-12 08:00 -0800
        Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-01-12 11:23 -0500
    Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Peter Duniho <NpOeStPeAdM@NnOwSlPiAnMk.com> - 2013-01-12 10:28 -0800
    Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Roedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid> - 2013-01-12 10:38 -0800
      Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-01-12 13:41 -0500
    Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate "Hiram Hunt" <hiramhunt@verizon.net> - 2013-01-13 15:41 -0500
    Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Rajiv Gupta <rajiv@invalid.com> - 2013-01-15 15:22 +1100
      Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2013-01-15 07:31 -0800
      Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Roedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid> - 2013-01-15 14:23 -0800
        Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-01-15 21:10 -0500
        Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Rajiv Gupta <rajiv@invalid.com> - 2013-01-17 11:47 +1100
          Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Lew <lewbloch@gmail.com> - 2013-01-16 17:01 -0800
            Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Rajiv Gupta <rajiv@invalid.com> - 2013-01-17 14:50 +1100
              Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Roedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid> - 2013-01-17 14:31 -0800
          Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Joshua Cranmer <Pidgeot18@verizon.invalid> - 2013-01-16 21:55 -0600
          Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Roedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid> - 2013-01-17 14:57 -0800
        Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Jim Janney <jjanney@shell.xmission.com> - 2013-01-17 12:36 -0700
          Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Roedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid> - 2013-01-17 14:33 -0800
          Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-01-17 18:14 -0500
          Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Arne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk> - 2013-01-17 18:16 -0500
    Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Roedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid> - 2013-01-15 00:23 -0800
      Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org> - 2013-01-15 06:47 -0800
        Re: U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate Roedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid> - 2013-01-15 14:34 -0800

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#21500

FromArne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk>
Date2013-01-17 18:14 -0500
Message-ID<50f885e4$0$286$14726298@news.sunsite.dk>
In reply to#21485
On 1/17/2013 2:36 PM, Jim Janney wrote:
> I usually think of applets as an interesting idea that somehow failed to
> catch on: the history of technology is full of such occurrences.

It did catch on back in the 90's.

But then it did not evolve and other technologies especially
Flash took over.

Arne

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#21502

FromArne Vajhøj <arne@vajhoej.dk>
Date2013-01-17 18:16 -0500
Message-ID<50f8866e$0$286$14726298@news.sunsite.dk>
In reply to#21485
On 1/17/2013 2:36 PM, Jim Janney wrote:
> Other than applets, are there any classes of Java programs that rely on
> the security manager?

Applets are by far the most well known case, but there are other.

Web hotel serving Java web apps with multiple customers in a
shared web container.

It is not so good to allow verybad.jsp:

<%
System.exit(1);
%>

RMI where code get downloaded and executed.

Arne


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#21409

FromRoedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid>
Date2013-01-15 00:23 -0800
Message-ID<c54af8l2r5sh74tcm04urnblc81qgjl5lk@4ax.com>
In reply to#21352
On Sat, 12 Jan 2013 07:48:51 -0500, emf <emfril@gmail.com> wrote,
quoted or indirectly quoted someone who said :

>U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate

I just got hit by a virus, the first time ever.  It was what the RCMP
call "scareware".  It suddenly popped up, locked screen, claiming I
had broken some law and must wire them $100 to unlock my computer.
If I failed to do so within 24 hours they would erase my hard drives.
They would also erase them it detected any attempts to remove it.

I follow all the usual rules to avoid infection. I figure it must have
got via running an unsigned Java applet or some JavaScript code.

Any way I got rid of it by booting to safe mode and running the Ace
Utilities and had a look at code configured to run at startup.  I
noticed a suspicious runcff.lnk from Microsoft, disabled it and all
seems to be ok.

The police were very ho hum, saying there were a rash of such attacks,
and they wanted to treat them like ordinary virus attacks. I guess
they figured nobody would be stupid enough to fall for  the extortion.
Apparently some variants claim to have found kiddie porn or accuse of
random crimes.
-- 
Roedy Green Canadian Mind Products http://mindprod.com
The first 90% of the code accounts for the first 90% of the development time.
The remaining 10% of the code accounts for the other 90% of the development 
time. 
~ Tom Cargill  Ninety-ninety Law 

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#21412

FromPatricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org>
Date2013-01-15 06:47 -0800
Message-ID<wO2dndBej5Rx9mjNnZ2dnUVZ_qednZ2d@earthlink.com>
In reply to#21409
On 1/15/2013 12:23 AM, Roedy Green wrote:
> On Sat, 12 Jan 2013 07:48:51 -0500, emf <emfril@gmail.com> wrote,
> quoted or indirectly quoted someone who said :
>
>> U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate
>
> I just got hit by a virus, the first time ever.  It was what the RCMP
> call "scareware".  It suddenly popped up, locked screen, claiming I
> had broken some law and must wire them $100 to unlock my computer.
> If I failed to do so within 24 hours they would erase my hard drives.
> They would also erase them it detected any attempts to remove it.
>
> I follow all the usual rules to avoid infection. I figure it must have
> got via running an unsigned Java applet or some JavaScript code.
>
> Any way I got rid of it by booting to safe mode and running the Ace
> Utilities and had a look at code configured to run at startup.  I
> noticed a suspicious runcff.lnk from Microsoft, disabled it and all
> seems to be ok.
>
> The police were very ho hum, saying there were a rash of such attacks,
> and they wanted to treat them like ordinary virus attacks. I guess
> they figured nobody would be stupid enough to fall for  the extortion.
> Apparently some variants claim to have found kiddie porn or accuse of
> random crimes.
>

The scary thing about this is how much it could cost in support service
fees for an ordinary computer user who does not know how to boot in safe
mode etc.

Patricia

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#21419

FromRoedy Green <see_website@mindprod.com.invalid>
Date2013-01-15 14:34 -0800
Message-ID<holbf89f6sftjet40kuk6i7bg288o4rst7@4ax.com>
In reply to#21412
On Tue, 15 Jan 2013 06:47:13 -0800, Patricia Shanahan <pats@acm.org>
wrote, quoted or indirectly quoted someone who said :

>The scary thing about this is how much it could cost in support service
>fees for an ordinary computer user who does not know how to boot in safe
>mode etc.

After I had done that I ran a Security Essentials which detected it
and removed it.  I did not run that right off figuring it might
trigger its revenge. The full story is at
http://mindprod.com/jgloss/scareware.html

My next line of defence would have been  to boot from a different disk
and run the security scan from there. Getting rid of it turned out to
be one of the easiest computer problems I ever solved. The very first
thing I tried worked. I have backups of all my data and
configurations, so the threat of a formatting was not all that
terrifying, just onerous reinstalling.

I am still puzzled how it got in.  I am used to hearing scare stories
about Java vulnerabilities, which are just theoretical holes that no
one actually got around to exploiting. This one could well be just
that. I have my security level low to let me run my own Applets.
Security does not distinguish between local, trusted and untrusted
sites.

It is not on my room mate's machine.

Microsoft has a rogues' gallery.  They had it described to a T with
screenshots, but it did not discus how it attacks.

-- 
Roedy Green Canadian Mind Products http://mindprod.com
The first 90% of the code accounts for the first 90% of the development time.
The remaining 10% of the code accounts for the other 90% of the development 
time. 
~ Tom Cargill  Ninety-ninety Law 

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