This new flaw is based on problems that the tech giant Microsoft has had to solve for many years. Combined with a particular Chrome situation, it has opened the door for theft of Windows access data. The most ridiculous is that it suffices to go through a malicious website and it is not necessary to execute any file so that the data is obtained.
The new Windows and Chrome issue
It was a member of DefenseCode that revealed that it is possible to exploit an SMB failure. Shell (Shell Command File) files, obtain a hash of the user’s password, which later is used to calculate the password in clear. When you visit the malicious page it automatically downloads a file of this type that does not even need to be opened. Just being in a file explorer window starts the attack. This is possible because these files allow you to place shortcuts that have icons obtained from network shares and also execute some commands.
How this failure can be exploited
When you try to access an icon that is in a share outside of Windows, the authentication data is sent, which reveals it to the attacker. The tech giant Microsoft corrected this situation in.LNK files when Stuxnet was discovered, but the truth is that it left uncorrected the similar behavior that SCF files have. On the other hand, these SCF files are considered to be harmless to Chrome, which uses its default behavior for reliable downloads, meaning it does not question the user where they want to save them by sending them to the location set for downloads.
The workaround for this issue is Google Chrome
While Microsoft does not fix this, with a Windows update that will change the behavior of SCF files, the solution is to change the behavior of Chrome so that it does not automatically record these files. To do this go to Settings, then Advanced settings and select the Ask where to save each file before transfer option. This failure, as we have said before, depends on two factors, which apparently can easily be found. On the one hand, the ease of downloading in Chrome and on the other, the lack of control of what SCF files can do. So, what do you think about this flaw? Simply share your views and thoughts in the comment section below.
