VUPEN Security has announced the discovery of a vulnerability in Google’s Chrome browser software.
Google Chrome has survived assaults at the Pwn2Own contest for the last three years. Now, French security firm VUPEN says it is unhappy to announced that it has officially “Pwned” Google Chrome and its protective Sandbox measures.
VUPEN uploaded a video of the browser exploit in action which bypasses all security features including ASLR/DEP/Sandbox, without exploiting a Windows kernel vulnerability. It works on all Windows systems and with the latest versions of the Chrome browser.
In the video, a web page is loaded displaying just a text message - “Your browser is being Pwned!” - and after a few seconds of inactivity (and without a visible crash in Chrome), the windows calculator application runs. According to the VUPEN write-up, the calculator executable is downloaded and executed.
At Pwn2Own in March this year, VUPEN successfully attacked Safari in much the same way. A specially crafted web page was loaded and several seconds later, the Mac OS X calculator application was launched and a file was written to the hard drive to demonstrate that the Sandbox had been compromised.
For obvious reasons, the write-up does not disclose technical information on the exploit, only to say that it is one of the most sophisticated codes they have used so far.
Result for: hard drive
Apple’s recently released quarterly earnings revealed that the company sold 250,000 Apple TV set-top devices as of the end of September, three weeks after its launch.
Says CEO Steve Jobs: “We’re happy with how it’s turned out.”
Jobs says he expects sales to pick up with the release of iOS 4.2, which will allow owners to stream their own content in addition to the content they downloaded from iTunes.
Available for $99, the updated Apple TV drops the hard drive of its predecessor and is now small enough to fit in your hand.
The device streams movies from the Web or from smartphones/tablets directly to your HDTV.
Additionally, the second-generation device streams movies from Netflix’s ever expanding “Watch Instantly” catalog and HD movies purchased through iTunes.
The Apple TV has built-in Wi-Fi and an HDMI output.
Result for: hard drive
Microsoft has confirmed today that they will be releasing Zune software for Macs by the end of the year, following many months of speculation.
Says the software giant: “Later in 2010 Microsoft will make a public beta available of a tool that allows Windows Phone 7 to sync select content with Mac computers.”
Windows Phone 7 owners should be able to quickly connect their smartphones to their Macs, and sync media content stored on their hard drives.
Microsoft first announced the news via Twitter: “Daily #WP7 Announcement: I’m glad to confirm that Mac users would be able to use Zune on their Macs to sync with #WP7. More details soon.”
The company finally unveiled its initial WP7 lineup earlier this week, with two phones headed to T-Mobile, three headed to AT&T and one each on Verizon and Sprint next year.
