Privacy News Beware! Subtitle Files Can Hack Your Computer While You're Enjoying Movies

[worldless]

Full article: Beware! Subtitle Files Can Hack Your Computer While You're Enjoying Movies

A team of researchers at Check Point has discovered vulnerabilities in four of the most popular media player applications, which can be exploited by hackers to hijack "any type of device via vulnerabilities; whether it is a PC, a smart TV, or a mobile device" with malicious codes inserted into the subtitle files.
[...]
These four vulnerable media players (mentioned below) have been downloaded more than 220 million times:

• VLC — Popular VideoLAN Media Player
• Kodi (XBMC) — Open-Source Media Software
• Popcorn Time — Software to watch Movies and TV shows instantly
• Stremio — Video Streaming App for Videos, Movies, TV series and TV channels

[...]
As soon as the media player parses those malicious subtitle files before displaying the actual subtitles on your screen, the hackers are granted full control of your computer or Smart TV on which you ran those files.

 

[cyberfort]

Full article: Beware! Subtitle Files Can Hack Your Computer While You're Enjoying Movies

Can these steps protect us?

1. What if the movie and subtitle is downloaded and is watched in offline mode?

2. What if the player is sandboxed?

3. What if the connection is is encrypted with VPN?

4. What id DEP ( data execution prevention) is enabled in windows - How to: Enable / Disable Data Execution Protection in Windows 10 - Appuals.com

5. Android users - can good permission management help ?

 

[Deleted member 178]

Can these steps protect us?

1. What if the movie and subtitle is downloaded and is watched in offline mode?

2. What if the player is sandboxed?

3. What if the connection is is encrypted with VPN?

4. What id DEP ( data execution prevention) is enabled in windows - How to: Enable / Disable Data Execution Protection in Windows 10 - Appuals.com

5. Android users - can good permission management help ?

1- yes
2-yes
3- No
4- probably
5- no idea, i dont use android

 

[cyberfort]

1- yes
2-yes
3- No
4- probably
5- no idea, i dont use android

Thank you for such a summarized informative answer

Would you like to add some points?

 

[Deletedmessiah]

Can these steps protect us?

1. What if the movie and subtitle is downloaded and is watched in offline mode?

2. What if the player is sandboxed?

3. What if the connection is is encrypted with VPN?

4. What id DEP ( data execution prevention) is enabled in windows - How to: Enable / Disable Data Execution Protection in Windows 10 - Appuals.com

5. Android users - can good permission management help ?

Android's a completely different system from Windows so the same hack probably won't affect it. Hackers would have to make separate exploit for Android with different codes.

 

[cyberfort]

Android's a completely different system from Windows so the same hack probably won't affect it. Hackers would have to make separate exploit for Android with different codes.

Yes i understand that
But if they do it with android app which have permission to control things like airdroid or androrat
Permission management could protect unless there is an exploit?

 

[Deletedmessiah]

Yes i understand that
But if they do it with android app which have permission to control things like airdroid or androrat
Permission management could protect unless there is an exploit?

Definitely. That'd put unpatched Android devices into risk. Which means most of the Android devices out there.

 

[Deleted member 178]

Thank you for such a summarized informative answer

Would you like to add some points?

in point 1 , you are not protected if you still use the weaponized subtitle, you just sever the link to the attacker, so anytime you goes online, the attack will resume.

 

[cyberfort]

in point 1 , you are not protected if you still use the weaponized subtitle, you just sever the link to the attacker, so anytime you goes online, the attack will resume.

Yes i got that
Thanks

 

[ahity]

wow thanks for share, i'll trying to install the patch from original posting