CyberWire Daily A cute cover for a dangerous vulnerability. [Research Saturday]
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Jan 18, 2025 Nati Tal, Head of Guardio Labs, discusses the alarming findings from their research on 'CrossBarking,' which uncovered a critical vulnerability in the Opera browser. This flaw allows malicious extensions to exploit Private APIs, with potential actions like screen capturing and account hijacking. Tal highlights how a deceptive puppy-themed extension could easily bypass security measures in both Chrome and Opera's stores, reflecting the ongoing battle between productivity and security. The conversation sheds light on the evolving tactics of modern cyber threats.
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Private API Vulnerability
- Private APIs, used for browser customization, can be vulnerable to exploitation.
- Malicious extensions can inject code into permissive domains, escalating privileges within the browser.
Bypassing Security
- Researchers bypassed security measures by injecting code into a privileged domain using content scripting.
- This allowed them to dynamically create a malicious script within the target webpage, gaining access to private APIs.
Cross-Browser Risk
- Opera's smaller extension store, while more secure, relies on the Chrome Web Store.
- This cross-browser compatibility creates a security risk, as malicious extensions can infiltrate Opera through the Chrome store.