Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard
Check Point researchers revealed a new attack vector threatening millions of users of popular media players, including VLC, Kodi (XBMC), Popcorn Time and Stremio. By crafting malicious subtitle files for films and TV programmes, which are then downloaded by viewers, attackers can potentially take complete control of any device running the vulnerable platforms.
"The supply chain for subtitles is complex, with over 25 different subtitle formats in use, all with unique features and capabilities. This fragmented ecosystem, along with limited security, means there are multiple vulnerabilities that could be exploited, making it a hugely attractive target for attackers," said Omri Herscovici, vulnerability research team leader at Check Point.
The subtitles for films or TV shows are created by a wide range of subtitle writers, and uploaded to shared online repositories, such as OpenSubtitles.org, where they are indexed and ranked. Researchers also demonstrated that by manipulating the repositories' ranking algorithm, malicious subtitles can be automatically downloaded by the media player, allowing a hacker to take complete control over the entire subtitle supply chain without user interaction.
Source: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2017/05/23/subtitle-hack/
(Score: 2) by el_oscuro on Wednesday May 24 2017, @12:00AM (3 children)
He never said that. Just "Bite my shiny metal ass!". And how did you get that cool ASCII art past the lameness filter?
SoylentNews is Bacon! [nueskes.com]
(Score: 2) by sgleysti on Wednesday May 24 2017, @02:37AM
It's a question that almost answers itself: The lameness filter could obviously tell that his cool ASCII art wasn't lame.
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Wednesday May 24 2017, @02:18PM
He did, sort of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qBlPa-9v_M [youtube.com]
And it's called ecode tags.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday May 24 2017, @02:58PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qBlPa-9v_M [youtube.com]
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"