Note that applications that use the Internet Explorer web content rendering components, such as Microsoft Office or Windows Desktop Search, may also be used as an attack vector for this vulnerability," the warning adds.

I have read 2-3 posts all about java but this is the first time I have read about other applications also.

I think the reasoning is that certain Microsoft application software like Office have built-in 'features' that invoke IE to display certain web-residing information within the application software itself, so that a user who never ordinarily uses IE may still be exposed to the Java vulnerability if the exploits exist within pages that IE silently opens.

I did a couple of hours of researching this before finally uninstalling Java last night from the last of my systems that still had it. In the course of doing the research, I read a great number of reports about this and earlier Java exploits. Somewhere in all of that (unfortunately, I lost the reference, though I did write down the details) was information that shutting off Java from within IE's 'Add-on' control panel, etc. was only sufficient to block IE from employing Java's ActiveX in a normal IE user browsing session. It was not sufficient to block IE's invoking of Java's ActiveX software when IE was being used in the background by an external program like Office. To block that path, the report indicated that either/both jp2iexp.dll and/or npjpi170_06.dll files also needed to be directly disabled in the c:\program files\java\jdk7\bin folder. Whether all such pathways could be totally blocked by using the Java Control Panel browsing-block setting was never addressed. Rather than mess around any further with Java uncertainties, workarounds, patches, and perpetually-recurring security nightmares, I elected to simply uninstall Java on the remaining system and see if anyone here actually notices its absence. If they do and resulting complaints are loud, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it...

actions · 2013-Jan-12 11:55 am ·

therube
join:2004-11-11
Randallstown, MD

4 edits

therube

Member

2013-Feb-2 11:42 am

said by Blackbird:

said by dandelion:

Note that applications that use the Internet Explorer web content rendering components, such as Microsoft Office or Windows Desktop Search, may also be used as an attack vector for this vulnerability," the warning adds.

I have read 2-3 posts all about java but this is the first time I have read about other applications also.

Exactly.
Take a look at Puran:
»www.puransoftware.com/sc ··· very.jpg
See that "Home" & "Like us on Facebook".
What do you think that is?

Well that is IE.
So when you run Puran, you are also running IE.

A little tab you say?
Well click into that little tab, then click Ctrl+N.
Woah Nelly, up pops, yes, IE in its full glory.

Looking to find duplicate files on your computer.
You guessed it, you are all running IE while you do.

1) clean looking app, no?

2) notice that "bar" that says "Home"?

3) when I right-click, it gives some odd context menu?

4) & if I do a Ctrl+N, up pops, IE, in all its glory!

in the first tiled window, I had IE blocked (in my firewall), & it was able to load the (locally stored) "home.html" page. once I unblocked IE (which would be the case for most everyone anyhow), the second tiled window, I was free to roam, anywhere, do anything IE can do, well, because I am running IE.

5) also note that because Puran needs to (perhaps better said, does) run with elevated permissions, so too does IE, running at a higher integrity level then it would otherwise.

(the sandboxed IE, running through Puran, the other instance run directly from desktop)

actions · 2013-Feb-2 11:42 am ·

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