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  • Google Chrome Browser Vulnerability – check your “where to save file” settings

    Posted on May 20, 2017 at 19:16 CDT by • Comment in the Forums

    Last week, a new topic was posted on a vulnerability on Google Chrome Browser over on Code Red – security advisories.

    Kirsty wrote:
    From Catalin Cimpanu, on bleepingcomputer.com:

    Just by accessing a folder containing a malicious SCF file, a user will unwittingly share his computer’s login credentials with an attacker via Google Chrome and the SMB protocol.
    …
    Users can do this by visiting:
    Settings -> Show advanced settings -> Ask where to save each file before downloading

    More advanced protection measures include blocking outbound SMB requests via firewalls, so local computers can’t query remote SMB servers.

     
    Bosko Stankovic, on defense.com said:

    With its default configuration, Chrome browser will automatically download files that it deems safe without prompting the user for a download location but instead using the preset one. From a security standpoint, this feature is not an ideal behavior
    …
    In order to disable automatic downloads in Google Chrome, the following changes should be made: Settings -> Show advanced settings -> Check the Ask where to save each file before downloading option. Manually approving each download attempt significantly decreases the risk of NTLMv2 credential theft attacks using SCF files.

     
    scmagazine.com discussed this issue in Greg Masters’ article – see today’s post on this over on Google Chrome Flaw Could Allow Windows Credential Theft

    Now would be a good time to check that your browser is set to ask where to save downloads, even if you use another brand.

    Security , , ,
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