[Full-Disclosure] REFRESH: EUDORA MAIL 5.1.1

From: http-equivat_private
Date: Wed Jul 24 2002 - 05:49:11 PDT

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    Tuesday, July 23, 2002
    
    Trivial silent delivery and installation of an executable on a target 
    computer. This  can be accomplished with the default installation of 
    the mail client Eudora  5.1.1: 
    
    'allow executables in HTML content' DISABLED 
    'use Microsoft viewer' ENABLED 
    
    The manufacturer http://www.eudora.com has done a tremendous job of 
    shutting down all possibilities of scripting and all other 
    necessaries to achieve the following result.  See: 
    
    http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/2490 
    http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/2796
    http://online.securityfocus.com/bid/4343
    
    
    In the instance of BID4343 under the original discussions of 
    GreyMagic Software's findings:
    
    url: http://online.securityfocus.com/archive/1/263658
    
    we found at the time, utilising our old friend the very simple HTTP-
    EQUIV meta tag known as refresh remained ungoverned by the security 
    settings of Eudora, that is being fully functional with 'allow 
    executables in HTML content' disabled. At that time the meta refresh 
    would open whatever files it was pointed at, inside the Microsoft 
    Viewer of Eudora [inside the email message itself].
    
    Today we find that while our old friend the very simple HTTP-EQUIV 
    meta tag known as refresh still remains ungoverned by the security 
    settings of Eudora, it forces open a new browser window instead. 
    Furthermore this new window does not appear to accept 'url' protocols 
    like about: , javascript: etc.
    
    Sounds good. 
    
    In addition to these extra ordinary measures, hardened security 
    warnings are incorporated as well for seemingly innocent files like 
    *.html: 
    
    [screen shot: http://www.malware.com/boopra.png 54KB]
    
    Sounds even better.
    
    File types  appear to open with whatever association has been 
    assigned to them e.g. *.txt will open with notepad, *.gif with 
    whatever. All through the meta refresh tag:
    
    Problem:
    
    is that the manufacturer left out an important file type to consider: 
    the *.mhtml file. This is automatically opened by Internet Explorer 
    via the meta refresh without any warning whatsoever i.e. the same 
    warning given to *.html.
    
    So What:
    
    So all we have to do is embedded in our mail message [again!] two 
    files:
    
    i) malware.mhtml which contains our active x control
    ii) malware.exe which is our friendly executable
    
    In the mail message we reference our malware.mhtml with the meta 
    refresh tag and point it to our known location on default install of 
    Eudora on win98.
    
    So once [again!] someone receives the mail message. Both files 
    embedded are silently and instantly transferred to the embedded 
    folder. The meta refresh then springs open the *.mhtml file inside 
    the embedded folder without warning, in our conveniently opened new 
    browser window courtesy of the meta refresh and bang ! it runs the 
    *.exe via the active x control.
    
    Working Example:
    
    Harmless *.exe. incorporated. Tested on win98, with IE6.00 (all of 
    its patches and so-called service packs), default Eudora 5.1.1 with:
    
    'use Microsoft viewer'  ENABLED 
    'allow executables in HTML content' DISABLED. 
    
    The following is in plaintext. We are unable to figure out how to 
    import a single message into Eudora's inbox. Perhaps some bright 
    spark knows. Otherwise, incorporate the text sample into a telnet 
    session or other and  fire off to your Eudora inbox: 
    
    http://www.malware.com/boodora.txt
    
    
    Notes: disable 'use Microsoft viewer' 
    
    
               
    -- 
    http://www.malware.com
    
    
    
    
    
    
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