Security Advisor
Security Firm Willing To Sell Windows 8 Hole to Highest Bidder
According to Vupen, a French security firm specializing in locating and reporting on zero-day flaws, said it had found a way to bypass security features in Microsoft's latest OS and Internet Explorer 10 that could lead to a remote code execution via a malicious Web site.
"We have researched and discovered multiple vulnerabilities in Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 10 that we have combined together to achieve a full remote code execution via a Web page which bypasses the new exploit-mitigation technologies included in Win8," Vupen Chief Executive Chaouki Bekrar told Computerworld.
The announcement of the newly discovered flaw was made on Friday over Twitter: "Our first 0day for Win8+IE10 with HiASLR/AntiROP/DEP & Prot Mode sandbox bypass (Flash not needed) is ready for customers. Welcome #Windows8"
Microsoft said that it had seen the message and has declined to comment on the matter until more information could be gathered.
It is important to note that the security firm makes its money by discovering software vulnerabilities and then selling the information to the highest bidder -- there is no guarantee that the information, if true, will end up in the hands of Microsoft security researchers.
Also important is the exploit method used; Vupen said that it had to string together multiple vulnerabilities together to exploit many new security features of Windows 8.
While Windows 8 does come packed with some improved security features, nobody thought that the OS would be 100 percent bullet proof. And it speaks volumes to the type of strides Microsoft has made in the fact that it sounds like no easy feat to pull off Vupen's supposed vulnerability.
I'd shed some more details, but I'm not willing to pay the ransom money -- er, the disclosure cost -- to find out more.
Been using Windows 8? How does it stack up against older versions when it comes to security? Let me know in the comments below or send your responses to [email protected] .