Windows 7's Unfixable Glitch

From IGN.com
Researchers claim new operating system's boot up sequence is flawed and completely unfixable.
This week the world's leading cybersecurity professionals gathered in Dubai at the Hack In The Box Security Conference to discuss the state of the industry, identify new threats, share pro-tips, and play Dungeons and Dragons. Ok, probably not that last part, but you get the point; high-nerdery was clearly afoot at the Sheraton Dubai Creek. One of the more prominent topics of discussion was Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 7. While a number of exploits and potential vulnerabilities of the system were discussed at the conference, one identified loophole in the system has security professionals troubled…and morbidly fascinated.

A team of researchers located an exploit within the new operating system that can allow hackers to take control of a user's machine during the startup process. The problem was identified by Vipin Kumar and Nitin Kumar, who created a program called VBootKit 2.0 that exploits the weakness and allows a hacker to bypass the machine's hard drive entirely, making it nearly impossible to detect. Once hackers can implement the software, they can then change access permissions, passwords, and gain access to a user's sensitive information. What's worse, a program like the one created by Vipin and Nitin Kumar can be as small as 3KBs, and thus can be spread rapidly. Naturally, problems like these are common during the pre-release beta stages, but Vipin and Nitin Kumar claim that this vulnerability is unique and completely unfixable.

"There's no fix for this. It cannot be fixed," said Vipin during his presentation in Dubai. "It's a design problem."

Microsoft has yet to comment on the exploit or formally acknowledge its existence, however, if Vipin and Nitin's claims are true, it could mean serious trouble for the forthcoming operating system's sales.

http://gear.ign.com/articles/976/976242p1.html

So.... if that's tur, be carefull storing things on it...

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There was already an article here on the same topic - It requires direct access to the machine itself. And if people are walking into your home/workspace and sitting down at your computer with unchallenged time to sit there and hack, I'd opine you have more serious proiblems than your OS.

------------------------------ Which Chip? Well, it depends on which set of thieving b@stardz you choose to support: The ones who use insider trading to enrich themselves while running their company into the ground? Or the ones who illegally pay vendors to not support the first group?
Reply to Scotteq

The program as/is does, but any rootkit could install such a patch, as it operates as a local use.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to downix

That's what beta testing is for.

downix wrote :

The program as/is does, but any rootkit could install such a patch, as it operates as a local use.

If you have undetected rootkits, you already have problems.

Reply to jsc

Yes, it's beta but vista once got tons of problems after beta... nothing's perfect

Reply to zoolcomputers

If they can get physical access of your pc, they can get in to it. End of story

Reply to kyeana

This also exposes a potential Linux security exploit too. Give someone your root password and let them sit down for a while at your PC and you're screwed. We should all be afraid, very afraid.

Message quoted 2 times

Reply to randomizer

randomizer wrote :

This also exposes a potential Linux security exploit too. Give someone your root password and let them sit down for a while at your PC and you're screwed. We should all be afraid, very afraid.

then should we sty on vista even after full release? or to find some good antivirus or firewall, or use it without internet connection?

Reply to zoolcomputers

The exploit requires physical access to your computer. As long as you don't let random strangers sit down at your PC and hack, I'd very sure you have nothing to worry about.

Message quoted 1 times

------------------------------ Which Chip? Well, it depends on which set of thieving b@stardz you choose to support: The ones who use insider trading to enrich themselves while running their company into the ground? Or the ones who illegally pay vendors to not support the first group?
Reply to Scotteq

Scotteq wrote :

The exploit requires physical access to your computer. As long as you don't let random strangers sit down at your PC and hack, I'd very sure you have nothing to worry about.

Imagine if someone produced this exploit to be transferred through USB devices or flash memory, such as an SD card. Imagine said someone inserting said SD card into said Walmart instant-printer. Imagine said Walmart instant-printer then infecting every single person that then inserted their SD cards....

There is more than one way to be "local" to a computer.

Reply to downix

randomizer wrote :

This also exposes a potential Linux security exploit too. Give someone your root password and let them sit down for a while at your PC and you're screwed. We should all be afraid, very afraid.

LOL

Reply to kyeana

downix wrote :

Imagine if someone produced this exploit to be transferred through USB devices or flash memory, such as an SD card. Imagine said someone inserting said SD card into said Walmart instant-printer. Imagine said Walmart instant-printer then infecting every single person that then inserted their SD cards....

There is more than one way to be "local" to a computer.

It's a BOOTKIT - It alters system files as they are loaded into system memory during startup. You have to boot directly from the media in order to perform the exploit. And when you restart, it's completely gone, unless you boot from the same corrupted media again.

Imagine people making a mountain out of a molehill.

Message edited by Scotteq on 04-28-2009 at 05:34:25 PM

------------------------------ Which Chip? Well, it depends on which set of thieving b@stardz you choose to support: The ones who use insider trading to enrich themselves while running their company into the ground? Or the ones who illegally pay vendors to not support the first group?
Reply to Scotteq

I'll stay on vista for a while untill things from microsoft be cool, even I had changed my mind for downloading the beta that will be available soon.

Reply to oc_gamer

Sorry for the noob question, but is it possible to implement bootkits over a network connection, since some motherboards can get their boot software over ethernet? Am I correct?

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to j29ville

j29ville wrote :

Sorry for the noob question, but is it possible to implement bootkits over a network connection, since some motherboards can get their boot software over ethernet? Am I correct?

"Wake On Network" provides a means to awaken a computer running in Sleep mode. It is not a clean boot, and therefore no - it is not possible to implement a bootkit in this manner.

------------------------------ Which Chip? Well, it depends on which set of thieving b@stardz you choose to support: The ones who use insider trading to enrich themselves while running their company into the ground? Or the ones who illegally pay vendors to not support the first group?
Reply to Scotteq

This is why encryption software exists.

Reply to fulle

All your data is belong to us... If you let us sit uninterupted at your machine for a few hours.. regardless of OS or security...

Why does every little thing have to be an issue these days? You know what, the network at my work probalby isnt very secure to a skilled hacker at all, and never will be.. But all the dudes with guns walking around sure are! Anyone who is actually worried about people breaking in to hack has security in the form of large fellows with pistols... anyone else probably doesnt have more than 2 or 3 people ever touch their computer anyway...

Sorry for the late comment, but wow, talk about non-news. They can bypass the HDD at start-up, big deal. I carry a flash drive with System Rescue CD on me at all times. You can boot from it and wipe all Windows passwords or change them. It isn't an exploit... it is a diagnostic/recovery tool. Why the hell did this "news story" receive any press at all? As stated a bazillion times, if someone has physical access to your computer you are done for. Hell, they can just take your HDD out of your PC and drop it in their pocket. Great alarmist headline...Windows 7's Unfixable Glitch.

Reply to geekstrada

I agree... this could be done with almost any OS... it's not specific to Windows 7.

------------------------------ Desktop: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit; Intel Q6600 CPU; E-VGA 780i SLI motherboard; E-VGA E-GeForce 8800GT; OCZ Vista 4GB dual-channel kit; Ultra X2 750W power supply; 2 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB in RAID 0. Laptop: Acer Aspire 8730-6314;
Reply to Zoron

Focus On

Windows 7's Unfixable Glitch

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