HTML Help Files 3

[kfgjn43]

Hi. Are HTML-help files safe to read? I'm referring to files with a .chm extension. I'm using Windows XP with SP3. It is fully patched. I have quite a few e-books in CHM format on my HDD. They are mostly warez. I often get a security warning when I open them asking if I'm sure that I want to open the file. Are CHM viruses common, and if so, am I protected from them by running a fully-patched system? Thanks.

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[North323]

fully patched does not prevent viruses. do you have an anti-virus? did you scan these files?

 

[kfgjn43]

Yes. I have Kaspersky, although I turned off real-time protection. I have scanned them, and nothing has been found so far.

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[vop]

Any warez source needs to be addressed with extreme caution because of a heightened threat level that such files could pose. .CHM are compiled HTML and the HTML could contain or have added embedded vulnerability SCRIPTS which many scanning tools may fail to detect as undesirable or a potential risk.


If you were to use the FIREFOX (FF) browser and the NOSCRIPT add-on you get to control what optional scripts, if any, are allowed to execute:

https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/722

You will also need a CHM Reader add-on for FF:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3235

Vince
ASAP Member (VopThis) - Alliance of Security Analysis Professionals
_____________________________________________________________
[*** If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking. ***]

 

[kfgjn43]

ok. Thank you, Vince!

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[burtsbees]

Hackers these days are able to replace the log at the end of the chm file/code with code of a jpeg, for example, to hide their activity...

/

tim@tim-laptop ~ $ sudo apt-get install windows
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Couldn't find package windows...Thank Goodness!