Security Adviser | Roger A. Grimes » Palm not fixing Treo security bypass vulnerability

February 14, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Palm not fixing Treo security bypass vulnerability

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Yet another vendor cares so little about their customer base that they have decided not to fix a critical system bug.

Thanks to Symantec for finding the bug and reporting it. As a Treo user, I'm far from thrilled. I plan to get rid of my Treo. Way to go Palm.

Here's the full story as reported on Security Focus:

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Symantec Vulnerability Research
http://www.symantec.com/research
Security Advisory

Advisory ID: SYMSA-2007-002
Advisory Title: Palm OS Treo Find Feature System Password Bypass
Authors: J.R. Wikes, Matt Cooley, & Scott King
Release Date: 14-02-2007
Application: N/A
Platforms: Palm OS Treo smart phones - Tested on Verizon,
Sprint, & Cingular Treo 650 (Treo650-1.03a-VZW &
Treo650-1.12-SPCS), Cingular Treo 680, and
Sprint/Verizon Treo 700p phones
Severity: Locally exploitable
Vendor status: Verified by vendor. No patch forthcoming.
CVE Number: CVE-2007-0859
Reference: http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/22468

Overview:

Palm OS Treo smartphones are equipped with a system password lock to secure contents of handheld data from unauthorized access.
When this lock is engaged, Treo's built-in Find feature is still accessible and can be used to perform searches on text in Treo applications and databases (e.g. SMS Messages, Memos, Calendar, Tasks, etc). Search results are accessible, and depending on their size, may be truncated. An attacker may use this vulnerability to retrieve information from a locked device.

The built-in Find feature can also be used to access an Edit window and paste previously cut or copied data into the search field of a locked device. An attacker may use this vulnerability to view data that was cut or copied from Treo applications prior to the device being locked.

Details:

The Find feature can be accessed when the handheld is locked by issuing keyboard shortcut keys on the Emergency Call screen and the Call In Progress screen that is displayed when an incoming call is accepted. More details for each of these methods is listed below.

1. Emergency Call Screen

- From the System Lockout screen, select 'Make Emergency Call'.
Press the keyboard shortcut keys for Find (Option Key + Find Key).
This will open the Find window on the bottom half of the screen.
Enter the desired text to search and click on 'OK'. (Searching on a single space usually returns data)

To access the Edit window, press the Menu key while the Find window is open. Select Paste from the Edit window to paste previously cut or copied data in the Find window.

2. Call In Progress screen

Accept an incoming call.
Press the keyboard shortcut keys for Find (Option Key + Find Key) during the call. This will open the Find window on the bottom half of the screen. Enter the desired text to search and click on 'OK'. (Searching on a single space usually returns data)

To access the Edit window, press the Menu key while the Find window is open. Select Paste from the Edit window to paste previously cut or copied data in the Find window.

Note: The Find window will stay open after a call has been disconnected. However, users will be returned to the Lockout screen when the find results are closed.

Vendor Response:

14-08-2006: Initial Vendor Notification.
06-09-2006: Vendor acknowledges receipt of vulnerability description.
06-09-2006: Vendor confirms vulnerability.
19-01-2007: Vendor decides not to fix vulnerability.
14-02-2007: Advisory released.

Recommendation:

In the interim of a patch being released to address this vulnerability, users should be notified of this condition so that they may take appropriate actions including encrypting sensitive handheld databases.

Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) Information:

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) project has assigned the following names to these issues. These are candidates for inclusion in the CVE list (http://cve.mitre.org), which standardizes names for security problems.

CVE-2007-0859

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Symantec Product Advisory PGP Key:
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Copyright (c) 2007 by Symantec Corp.
Permission to redistribute this alert electronically is granted as long as it is not edited in any way unless authorized by Symantec Vulnerability Research. Reprinting the whole or part of this alert in any medium other than electronically requires permission from research@symantec.com.

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Posted by Roger Grimes on February 14, 2007 09:02 AM

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