SafeUM
Home Blog Services Download Help About Recharge

Axarhöfði 14, 110 Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland - 2015
SafeUM
Blog
Services
Download
Help
About
Recharge
Menu
Archive
TOP Security!
8 Dec 2015

Patched security flaw exposes 6.1 million IoT

A three-year-old vulnerability within a component used by millions of smart devices is placing smartphones, routers, television sets and other products at risk of exploit.

According to security firm Trend Micro, vulnerabilities in the libupnp library, also known as the Portable SDK for UPnP Devices, were patched in 2012.

However, many apps still use outdated versions of the library, which can act as a conduit for remote code execution attacks to take place against devices with these vulnerable apps installed. On Thursday, Trend Micro researchers said in a blog post a total of 6.1 million devices, including smartphones, routers and smart television sets, are exposed due to the old library. Used mainly in implementing media playback (DNLA) or NAT traversal (UPnP IGD) -- used to map network ports -- any apps using the library can play media files and connect to other devices on a network.

Vulnerabilities that were fixed in the 2012 version included one severe flaw which could result in remote code execution. The problem lies within how the library handles Simple Service Discovery Protocol (SSDP) packets. The protocol, part of the UPnP standard, would cause a stack overflow, causing potentially both a crash and opening a port avenue for attackers to run arbitrary code. This, in turn, could lead to data theft, spying and the destruction of systems. Trend Micro has confirmed that at least 547 apps use older versions of libupnp, 326 of which are available on the Google Play store.

The most popular apps relying on the old library include CameraAccess plus, nScreen Mirroring for Samsung and Smart TV Remote. Another affected app, QQMusic, is used by over 100 million people in China alone, having been downloaded millions of times from the Google Play store. The Netflix app, also downloaded millions of times, was also thought to be vulnerable. However, the researchers say:

"Upon further clarification with Netflix, we learned that Netflix uses their own fork of libupnp due to an API that is no longer a part of newer libupnp versions.However, their fork contains the fixes from newer versions of libupnp as well, so we believe they are not affected by potential remote code execution attacks targeting this vulnerability."

The researchers are continuing to ferret out more vulnerable app, and after disclosing the security bug, the makers of QQMusic are preparing a fix.

Tags:
information leaks
Source:
ZDNet
2082
Other NEWS
3 Jul 2020 safeum news imgage An encrypted messaging service has been infiltrated by police
4 May 2020 safeum news imgage Two-Factor Authentication ​What Is It and Why You Should Use It
12 Dec 2019 safeum news imgage Encryption is under threat - this is how it affects you
4 Nov 2019 safeum news imgage Should Big Decisions Be Based on Data or Your Intuition?
7 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage VPNFilter malware infecting 500,000 devices is worse than we thought
4 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage Hackers target Booking.com in criminal bid to steal hundreds of thousands from customers
1 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage Operator of World's Top Internet Hub Sues German Spy Agency
30 May 2018 safeum news imgage US says North Korea behind malware attacks
29 May 2018 safeum news imgage Facebook and Google targeted as first GDPR complaints filed
25 May 2018 safeum news imgage A new reason to not buy these cheap Android devices
24 May 2018 safeum news imgage Flaws in smart pet devices, apps could come back to bite owners
23 May 2018 safeum news imgage Google sued for 'clandestine tracking' of 4.4m UK iPhone users' browsing data
21 May 2018 safeum news imgage LocationSmart reportedly leaked phone location data onto the web
18 May 2018 safeum news imgage The SEC created its own scammy ICO to teach investors a lesson
17 May 2018 safeum news imgage Thieves suck millions out of Mexican banks in transfer heist
All news
SafeUM
Confidential Terms of Use Our technologies Company
Follow us
Download
SafeUM © Safe Universal Messenger

Axarhöfði 14,
110 Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland - 2015