Unsecure file permission of ZoneAlarm pro.

[Bipin Gautam <visitbipin () hotmail com>]

Hello list,

Zone Alarm stores its config. files in %windir%\Internet Logs\* . But strangely, 

ZoneAlarm sets the folder/file permission (NTFS) of %windir%\Internet Logs\* to,

EVERYONE: Full 

after its first started.

Even If you try to change the permission to...

Administrator (s): full
system: full
users: read and execute
[these are the default permissions] 

Strangely, the permission again changes back to... EVERYONE: Full each time 

ZoneAlarm Pro (ZAP) is started. I've tested these in zap 4.x and 5.x

        This could prove harmful if we have a malicious program/user running with 

even with a user privilege on the system.

Well a malicious program could modify those config file in a way ZAP will stop 

functioning. This is what ZoneLabs had to say...

---snip-------
> anyone could open any ZoneAlarm file 
> (assuming it isn't locked), edit it with a hexeditor and 
> cause it to stop functioning. This type of modification 
> wouldn't be classified as an attack, as you have simply 
> modified the file and caused it to not function as expected. 
> This is true of any executable or other binary.
---/snip-------
yap, true... but shouldn’t ZAP have some protection against such attacks? instead 

of leaving the permission to " EVERYONE: Full " I wonder if a program could bypass 

ZAP filters using "safePrograms*.xml" [...experimenting]

anyone wanna take this thing to a new level, please go on...

Regards,

Bipin Gautam
http://www.geocities.com/visitbipin/