WebApp Sec mailing list archives

Re: ActiveX controls within an Intranet Environment


From: GuidoZ <uberguidoz () gmail com>
Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2004 17:49:08 -0800

Hello Marian! I was under the same situation before. One of the
companies I was supporting used a proprietary ActiveX control to
handle some of their business. Unfortunately, this made weaning them
off of IE next to impossible. ActiveX in itself is inherentely
insecure and should be avoided when possible, IMHO.

Eventually I was able to have them move to a Java based solution
instead which helepd with security AND allowed cross browser/platform
capability. Was wonderful news when it was finally implemented and
everythign was working.

I never tried to do any real studies on the actual risks involved with
that particular app, although most are aware of the risks associated
with ActiveX as a whole. Just link Windows, it wasn't designed with
security in mind, but with functionality instead. Doing some quick
Google searches on "activex risks" or "activex security" should reveal
a plethora of resources and information on the topic.

--
Peac.e ~G


On Fri, 26 Nov 2004 13:48:57 +1300, Marian Fitzgerald
<marian.fitzgerald012 () msd govt nz> wrote:
Hello all,

I am carrying out a risk assessment on an application that we are
looking to deploy internally - however there is a dependency on ActiveX
by the app. I am constantly receiving security updates on the
vulnerabilities associated with using ActiveX but would like to be able
to quantify the risks appropriately. Could you offer any input on this?

Thank you
Marian

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