Re: Some discussion in http-wg ... FW: webmail vulnerabilities: a

From: Ryan Russell (Ryan.Russellat_private)
Date: Thu Jan 20 2000 - 11:44:06 PST

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    A couple of comments in a couple different directions...
    
    Eric states that there will be implementation issues.
    
    To be nastier about it, if the browser vendors can't shut off
    Javascript when I hit the checkbox, why think they could
    do it by following an HTML directive?
    
    And to pre-hack the idea.. chances are that I'm going to be able
    to do something to escape the headers... i.e. I'll find a way to start
    a new set of headers, perhaps opening a new frame.
    
    > It would be nice if there were on an HTTP header that, if sent to the
    > client, would cause the client to disable javascript, vbscript, etc. for
    > that document only. Sites who wished to display untrusted pages (webmail
    > sites, web discussion forums, etc.) could then use a multi-frame layout.
    > Any frame that contained untrusted code would have this header included in
    > the delivery of its content to ensure that the scripts would not be
    > evaluated, regardless of the normal client settings; other frames, whose
    > "trusted" documents would be sent without this header, would still be able
    > to use scripting (if enabled on the client).
    
    I don't want to discourage the idea neccessarily, just pick on the
    browser vendors.  Perhaps they'd have a better chance of
    getting it right the first time that way.
    
    On a different tangent:
    
    Several folks suggested that all tags be stripped unless they are
    "known safe".
    
    Doing so will kill your ability to mail around C code, unless you
    HTMLize it first.  If you don't, all your #<includes> will dissappear,
    and perhaps the rest of the note if it's waiting for a #</include> :)
    
                             Ryan
    



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