Prize For Hacking Chrome During Pwn2Own

During a hacker contest next month in Vancouver held hackers and researchers can win the grand prize by hacking Google Chrome. Who a vulnerability in Google's browser on Windows 8.1 knows how to find can earn $ 75,000.

This is more than for leaks is offered in other browsers. The game in question is the annual Pwn2Own contest, which takes place during the CanSecWest conference. Every year, researchers and hackers at the event to test the security of browsers.After the prize for Google Chrome follows Internet Explore 11 where a reward of $ 65,000 to be offered. Apple Safari on Mac OS X Yosemite follows with $ 50,000 in the third. Finally provides a successful hack of Mozilla Firefox at $ 30,000.

Besides the four browsers will be tested also the security of Adobe Reader and Adobe Flash Player. A successful attack on both programs make $ 60,000 on. This year, the difficulty for participants is much higher than previous years because the exploits that should be developed with Microsoft's free security tool EMET works.

The Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) is precisely designed to neutralize the effect of exploits. As a result, researchers now take two hurdles. Researchers who through their exploits on a Windows computer code with SYSTEM privileges can perform get an extra $ 25,000 reward. In addition, Google will in the case of a Chrome hack pay an additional reward of $ 10,000. Pwn2Own will take place on 18th and 19th March.

XP users should avoid Internet Explorer

Windows XP users should not use Internet Explorer now there is a new leak was discovered in the browser. That suggests Mikko Hypponen of the Finnish F-Secure. This weekend it was announced that a new leak in IE is present that is deployed. Limited extent in targeted attacks

The vulnerability in Internet Explorer 6 to 11 present, although the attacks were directed only. Against users of IE9, IE10 and IE11 Since Microsoft no longer supports Windows XP, except for organizations with an extended service contract available, run IE users on the platform risk because there is no patch will be released which fixes the leak more.

Symantec also recommends that XP users to use another browser, but notes that this is a temporary measure until Microsoft has released a patch. A notable addition, because most XP users will receive. No more updates For XP users that IE can not do without the use of Microsoft's free Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) 4.1 option.

This program adds additional security to the system and also works on Windows XP. The tool prevents attackers newly discovered IE vulnerability to exploit, according to Symantec. Besides XP users also users of other Windows versions can protect themselves through EMET against the vulnerability.

Warning of new vulnerability in Internet Explorer

There is a new and critical vulnerability in Internet Explorer discovers that actively used to infect computers with malware and cyber criminals which no update is available from Microsoft. The vulnerability affects Internet Explorer 6 to Internet Explorer 11.

The attacks that were observed, however, were directed against IE9, IE10 and IE11. According to the U.S. security firm FireEye is the exploit of the vulnerability abuse by an APT (advanced persistent threat) group "used in the past more zero-day vulnerabilities used, including Firefox and Adobe Flash Player.

"We think this is an important zero-day, because the vulnerable versions about a quarter of the browser market decide," said analyst Chen Xiaobo. The exploits that attackers use uses a technique known through Adobe Flash Player, the Windows security bypasses to attack the unknown. Leak in IE

Solution

Microsoft vulnerability has also been confirmed and suggests that it is deployed. in targeted attacks only on a limited scalePending a security IE users to take various measures to protect themselves. Enabling the Enhanced Protected Mode in IE10 and IE11 can prevent the attack. IE users on Windows 7 itself should enable this option. Windows 8 Enhanced Protected Mode is enabled only in the "Metro" version of IE. If the desktop version of the browser on Windows 8 should still enable the measure itself used.

Since the exploit Adobe Flash Player as a springboard to attack the causes browserlek to disable the Flash Player plug-in in Internet Explorer ensure that the attack does not work anymore. Finally IE users can protect themselves by installing the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) version 4.1 or 5.0 Tech Preview .