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So as most of you probably know the big buzz on the Internet last week was that Google (after supporting Firefox for so long) have actually launched their own browser.
It’s cooled Google Chrome. Now of course in typical Google fashion they call it BETA software, and a number of flaws have popped up during the first couple of days of release.
One cool thing though is that each tab runs it’s own threaded process, so if one tab bombs out it won’t take down your whole browser.
The browser is a move for Google into the online/offline integration they started with Google Desktop, there are more and more online apps (Google Office) that people still want to use offline with a Google made browser this will be possible.
You also have to consider the privacy implications though, if you are also using Gmail…Google will basically know everything you do, even worse if you also use Google Desktop they will know what you have on your computer, what e-mail you send and receive and what you surf on the web.
The German Government has come out and told its citzens NOT to use Google Chrome.
There have been a few flaws released since Chrome came out such as a carpet bombing flaw:
Google’s shiny new Web browser is vulnerable to a carpet-bombing vulnerability that could expose Windows users to malicious hacker attacks.
Just hours after the release of Google Chrome, researcher Aviv Raff discovered that he could combine two vulnerabilities — a flaw in Apple Safari (WebKit) and a Java bug discussed at this year’s Black Hat conference — to trick users into launching executables direct from the new browser.
The PoC is here: http://raffon.net/research/google/chrome/carpet.html
Another is a crash in chrome.dlll.
An issue exists in how chrome behaves with undefined-handlers in chrome.dll version 0.2.149.27. A crash can result without user interaction. When a user is made to visit a malicious link, which has an undefined handler followed by a ‘special’ character, the chrome crashes with a Google Chrome message window “Whoa! Google Chrome has crashed. Restart now?”. It fails in dealing with the POP EBP instruction when pointed out by the EIP register at 0x01002FF4.
The PoC is here: http://evilfingers.com/advisory/google_chrome_poc.php
And a few people have also been complaining that it allows auto-download of executable without a user prompt.
We will be keeping an eye on Google Chrome.
d347hm4n says
I don’t think that we will be the only one’s keeping a close eye on the new browser. Bound to find some flaws in the first few days. Thats what a patching cycle is for.
Morgan Storey says
no props again… ah well, we sorta read this at the same time.
There is a good chrome kb that some guy put up here that has known vulnerabilites.
Looking on the front page there has been an update released already… Obviously google are so used to being able to update their install base for the google webserver etc with the flick of the switch they may not realise users aren’t like that, I wonder how many will still be running the original release months from now.
http://chromekb.com/
Darknet says
Sorry Morgan but yeah kinda read about it at the same time and I’d seen a couple of other vulnerabilities already – but yeah everyone Morgan did e-mail me about this subject!
Pantagruel says
So now all we have to do is wait for another serious flaw in Chrome and Google spilling all the users details it has gathered in it’s browser/email client/desktop search app installed on the victims pc.
I get the impression the where rushing the Chrome release and left out the serious bug hunt routine.
Morgan Storey says
@Pantagruel: I feel that the bug hunt for them is done by the end user a lot of the time. Not a bad thing, and they do try and let people know by calling all releases beta, it is a throwback to their open source roots I would say.