ie4 messes around with referrer-string

From: bungle (meinbugtraqat_private)
Date: Sun Dec 20 1998 - 06:49:28 PST

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    After seeing the posts about the ValueClick posts,
    I consider a ie4-"feature" I just found annoying may
    in fact be security related.
    
    description: when openening a url in a new window and
    continuing with a bookmark back in the old window,
    ie4 permanently sends the url of the new window
    as referrer-string in the old window.
    
    - tested with ie 4.01 german (just on one win95 system).
    
    The short description is a little bit confused, so step by step:
    REMARK: hostA, hostB are just dummi-names!
    
    1) start ie
    2) goto www.hostA.com (typing the url in ie4)
    3) open a url from hostA in new-window, for example www.hostA.com/index2.htm
    4) change back to first ie-window, and - via bookmark - goto www.hostB.com.
       hostB has a link on it where it shows the referrer
       (i.e. via javascript : document.referrer)
    5) click the link on hostB, it _should_ give 'www.hostB.com' as referrer,
       but it shows 'www.hostA.com/index2.htm'.
    
    I have no www-site at hand, but for easy testing setup a local
    webserver (for hostB) and use this short file
    
    <html>
    <SCRIPT>
    function getReferrer() {
    return document.referrer
    }
    </SCRIPT>
    <HEAD>
    <SCRIPT>
    document.write ("referrer: ", getReferrer());
    </SCRIPT>
    </HEAD>
    </body>
    </html>
    
    Other observations:
    This behavior holds on for more than one click on www.hostB.com, you
    may reload the page or walk around at hostB, always the false referrer
    is delivered.
    



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