IE was reportedly the attack vector for China's hacking into Google

http://siblog.mcafee.com/cto/operation-%E2%80%9Caurora%E2%80%9D-hit-google-others/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

by mcantelon • 17 years ago

33 32 17 years ago

siblog.mcafee.com

achew22• 17 years ago

I've seen reports of the attack vector being IE and Acrobat, Flash player and (IIRC) Windows XP. It doesn't matter what the actual product was, it only matters that people aren't patching well known vulnerabilities. The vector is not a particular program it is a lack of attention to detail when it comes to patches.

tptacek8• 17 years ago

It doesn't matter if you patch well-known vulnerabilities if the Chinese are using undocumented flaws in browsers to attack you. HN doesn't want to hear this, but in the worst case IE is probably tied with Firefox as the most secure browser.

BrandonM• 17 years ago

but in the worst case IE is probably tied with Firefox as the most secure browser.

The difference being that

Once the malware is downloaded and installed, it opens a back door that allows the attacker to perform reconnaissance and gain complete control over the compromised system.

is less feasible in Firefox than it is in IE. Firefox forces you to download an executable and then manually run it, so a user would be conscious that he or she is installing a program. It is still possible (last I knew) in IE to install a program practically in the background, or to get broader OS control through a browser vulnerability.

mixmax• 17 years ago

This is very interesting coming from someone with a strong background in security and definitely not what I would expect to hear.

Has IE ramped up security in later versions, has it always been like this or what?

nishantmodak• 17 years ago

w.r.t Firefox I use a plugin these days called NoScript.[https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/722] - Allows active content to run only from sites you trust

Finding it very useful!

andreyf• 17 years ago

IE is probably tied with Firefox as the most secure browser

Meaning both are more secure than Chrome? What about the process sandboxing Chrome does?

pan692• 17 years ago

I heard they used "the Internet" as an attack vector.

forkandwait• 17 years ago

Man, do the downvoters around here have ANY sense of humor? This comment was funny...

elblanco3• 17 years ago

I upvoted.

pan692• 17 years ago

Thanks. I typed it with an doctor evil voice inside my head. I guess it didn't came across that way. :)

The reason I typed the comment was probably out of sarcasm I think. The title of the article is SO militaristic and when you go to the article you see this photo of a dude in a back skivvy who looks like he's a member of the nazi party or something (although he seems very happy).

I thought it deserved a silly comment. But who am I...

fungi• 17 years ago

Coverage is degenerating in to a link baiting excise combined with a hell of a lot of nationalist hyperbole.

Can we please get some fscking facts around here.

rbanffy2• 17 years ago

Who would imagine a combination of IE, Acrobat and Windows would be useful to those Chinese spies? What a surprise!

IE was reportedly the attack vector for China's hacking into Google

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