Secunia warns of browser vulnerabilities

Internet Business News, May 18, 2004

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Computer security company Secunia has issued a warning over a new vulnerability that it has found in the Safari 1.x and Internet Explorer 5.x Internet browsers.

The security vulnerability could reportedly be used by web sites to compromise a machine by placing files - including script files - in a known location on a user's system. This is made possible because the "help" URI handler allows the execution of local scripts via the classic directory transversal character sequence, according to the company.

Secunia recommends that users change the default browser setting so that files are not automatically opened after they are downloaded, they do not go online as a "privileged user" and that they rename the help handler.

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