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The hunt is on for file format bugs |
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Source: CNET News - Posted by Pax Dickinson
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New tools could help bug hunters find vulnerabilities in popular file formats, such as the JPEG and GIF image formats. Flaws in how applications handle those file formats are drawing interest among security researchers, according to speakers at the Black Hat security conference here.
Some of those bugs can be serious: A victim's PC could be hijacked by simply viewing an image on a Web site or in an e-mail. Microsoft issued three "critical" security bulletins earlier this month, two related to file format flaws.
There could be a significant increase in the discovery of such flaws. iDefense, a security intelligence company, is making available tools that let researchers automate the discovery of file format vulnerabilities. The company released the tools Thursday in conjunction with Black Hat.
"I really do think this is a low-hanging-fruit area for vulnerabilities," Michael Sutton, a lab director at iDefense, said in a presentation at Black Hat. iDefense itself has found several file format flaws. "We really did not work hard to find the vulnerabilities. We did work hard on the tools."
Read this full article at CNET News
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