New MSN Messenger Worm

From: Drew Smith (drewat_private)
Date: Wed Feb 13 2002 - 05:09:43 PST

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    	Heya folks,
    
    	Ok, let's try this again, with a little more time spent on my side. ;) 
    Tried to submit this earlier today, but got bounced for attaching the
    worm source to the message.  So, this time, I'm attaching a URL instead,
    where you can go get the source if you want to see it.
    
    	This worm *ripped* through our office today - it's one part flaw in
    Microsoft's security model and one part social engineering; it is a
    NON-MALICIOUS worm, but it effectively proves the concept, and I don't
    foresee more than a week or two before there's a nasty version.  
    
    	We've been calling it the "cool worm", after the original filename,
    "cool.html".
    
    	I said *ripped*.  I meant it.  40 people affected/infected in under 30
    seconds.  That's the dangerous part, I didn't even have time to go to
    the other room to let coworkers know what was up.
    
    	The worm shows up as an MSN Messenger message that says "Go To
    http://www.masenko-media.net/cool.html NoW !!!".  The user, obviously,
    clicks the URL, which takes them to the site, where the malicious code
    sits.  The code opens the MSN Contacts list, then messages every contact
    with the message "Go To http://www.masenko-media.net/cool.html NoW
    !!!".  
    
    	Think about that for a second.
    	
    	Anyhow - the worm does nothing nasty, but the source to the (now down)
    masenko-media.net site also mails the hostname and user agent of the
    connecting host to "mmargaeat_private".
    
    	Looks to me like an experiment that got loose from the lab, but it
    demonstrates a *dangerous* flaw.  Why can a webpage open the contacts
    list in the first place?  What other hooks does MSN Messenger provide? 
    Can you harvest email addresses from a contact list? 
    
    	Too many scary implications.
    
    	Worm source (with a few important lines removed, so that it doesn't
    start popping up *everywhere*), available at:
    
    	http://riotnrrd.com/cool-source.zip
    
    	Cheers,
    	- Drew.
    
    
    
    
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