Re: Watch your Downloads: the risk of the "auto-download" feature on Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome

["Stefan Kanthak" <stefan.kanthak () nexgo de>]

Lee "cant afford a surname" <curtlee2002 () gmail com> wrote:

> Haifei Li, changing the default behavior to open a window asking the
> user where to save the file would change nothing.  A "normal user"
> would just click the "save" button to save the file in the default
> folder.  I also don't think it should be the browser's responsibility
> to look for potential malicious DLLs in that directory.  This "normal
> user" may not even use the browser to execute this executable file so
> they never even see this warning.

Correct so far.

> If you really want to pursue this problem, I think the OS (MS Windows)
> is where you should be looking for a solution.

No, the OS is NOT the problem here.
The problem are the morons who build *.EXE to install software (or just
unpack some files) and hand these *.EXE to unsuspecting and unskilled
users, expecting them to actually EXECUTE them.
This really nasty behaviour of almost all developers/companies out
there trained users to execute almost anything they get their hands on.

The solution for this is simple:

* package your software in the platforms native format.
  For Windows this is *.MSI for applications, *.INF/*.CAB for drivers.
  Other (older) OS have *.pkg, their newer variants *.deb, *.rpm, *.apk,
  *.dmg, ...

* distribute your files in the platforms native format.
  For Windows this is *.CAB. Other OS's have their own, and most of
  them understand *.ZIP.

> MS Windows has an "Open File - Security Warning" window before
> executing untrusted files.

Please define "untrusted file".
Windows resp. some applications (Internet Explorer, Outlook *, Windows
Live Mail, ...) add a "zone identifier" (as NTFS alternate data stream)
to files downloaded from the internet resp. untrusted locations.

> Again, a "normal user" just clicks "Run" on that window without reading
> the warning, but this could be expanded to also warn about potential
> malicious DLLs.  Example Image: http://i.imgur.com/3dxQJCB.png

SAFER a.k.a. software restriction policies exist for more than 14 years
now and can prevent normal users from running executable files.
Cf. <http://mechbgon.com/srp> or http://home.arcor.de/skanthak/SAFER.html

> As long as a "normal user" is given enough privileges to
> destroy/infect/... their OS, they will continue to be careless.

Normal user have enough privileges to destroy/infect their OWN files.
This is worse than just loosing the OS: the latter can be reinstalled.

> You will never be able to protect these people from themselves.

But you can help protect themselves from accidential (or unwanted)
execution of files.

stay tuned
Stefan

> On Fri, Oct 2, 2015 at 6:43 PM, Haifei Li <haifei-non-reply () outlook com> wrote:
> > This is a copied version of my blog post, original version
http://justhaifei1.blogspot.com/2015/10/watch-your-downloads-risk-of-auto.html.Probably it's commonly known that when 
you try to
download something on your modern browser e.g. Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, the file will be downloaded 
automatically to your
local system with just a simple clicking - no need for additional confirmations. With default settings, the file will 
be downloaded
to your "Downloads" folder ("C:\Users\<username>\Downloads").
> > Personally, I have worried about this feature quite some times, now I finally got some time on highlighting this. 
> > (Please tell me
if there's someone already talked about this, I quickly googled around and wasn't able to find an appropriate one, I 
think it should
be known by many ppl).
> > The "auto-download" feature is good from "user experience" perspective, but obviously it's not good for security, as 
> > the
downloading could also be started by Javascript (<iframe src="url">). The attacker may just place a malicious DLL with 
a specific
name into the "Downloads" folder when the victim visits a webpage he/she controls. In future, when the victim tries to
download/install good programs (executables) from legitimate websites - of course, the good executable will be 
downloaded, and will
be launched from the "Downloads" folder as well - then the installation/execution progress could be hijacked.
> > This is because that in the real world, most executables replying dlls. Anyway, the "application directory" is the 
> > very first
place in the search order when searching/loading for a dll (yoy may want to check this paper I released years ago). So, 
probably,
most of dlls even the system dlls could be hijacked when you place a same-named dll in the executable's directory, and 
that's not
for the situation that the searching dll is not in anywhere of your system.
> > Usually, the "Downloads" folder is a place with massive downloaded files, so the victim probably never get a change 
> > to realize
there is a malicious DLL sitting in his/her "Downloads" folder. I'd also doubt that even a normal user notices a 
strange dll in
his/her "Downloads" folder, does he/she will really delete it immediately? DLLs won't be executed by themselves anyway, 
right?
> > Anyway, in the real world, for most people, who really check their "Downloads" folder every time when they try to 
> > install
something from internet? Instead, most people just click the "Run" button directly when installing something (see 
following figure).
> > I have quickly made a video showing this risk. The test environment is Windows 10 Pro, with Microsoft Edge and 
> > Google Chrome,
fully updated as of Oct 2nd, 2015, all with default settings. Check it out here.
> > As you may have noted, a modified "VERSION.DLL" will be dropped into the "Downloads" folder when visiting the webpage
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14747595/auto_download_test/test.html. Then, when the user tries to install Adobe 
Reader from
the official adobe.com website, the installation process of Adobe Reader will be hijacked - the modified "VERSION.DLL" 
will be
loaded and my shellcode will be executed.
> > There's one small thing, the code execution should be run out of the browser sandbox, but unluckily the tested 
> > shellcode I copied
from internet runs calc.exe, and because there's no calc.exe anymore on Windows 10, what you've seen it's just a 
Calculator App
which runs within the App Container sandbox. Other shellcode, for example, running notepad.exe, will be run out of the 
App Container
sandbox and give the attacker control of your system. #BringTheLovelyCalcBackMicrosoft!
> > Also note that with default setting, the Microsoft Edge will promote a warning dialog saying the DLL is dangerous, 
> > offering the
user an option to delete the file.
> > But:
> > 1) Anyway, the DLL has been already dropped into the "Downloads" folder, if the user chooses not to delete the file 
> > or just do
nothing, future execution will still be hijacked.2) I also guess this Microsoft Edge warning could be bypassed if the 
DLL is a
signed DLL, but I don't have a certificate to test.
> > On Google Chrome, as you have seen, there's no warning at all.
> > Thanks,Haifei


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