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Privacy Government Open Source Security Software

Notepad++ Update Fixes 'CIA Hacking' Issue (archive.org) 82

Free software Notepad++ (released under the GNU General Public License) received a new update this week which was announced under the headline "Fix CIA Hacking Notepad++ Issue". The CIA documents in WikiLeaks' 'Vault 7' included a "Notepad++ DLL Hijack" document which affected the popular Windows editor for text and source code. "It's not a vulnerability/security issue in Notepad++, but for remedying this issue, from this release (v7.3.3) forward, notepad++.exe checks the certificate validation in scilexer.dll before loading it," reads the announcement. From the Notepad++ web site: If the certificate is missing or invalid, then it just won't be loaded, and Notepad++ will fail to launch. Checking the certificate of DLL makes it harder to hack.

Note that once users' PCs are compromised, the hackers can do anything on the PCs. This solution only prevents from Notepad++ loading a CIA homemade DLL. It doesn't prevent your original notepad++.exe from being replaced by modified notepad++.exe while the CIA is controlling your PC.

The update also includes "a lot of enhancements and bug-fixes," and if no critical issues are found, "Auto-updater will be triggered in few days."
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Notepad++ Update Fixes 'CIA Hacking' Issue

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  • Vault 7 (Score:5, Insightful)

    by war4peace ( 1628283 ) on Sunday March 12, 2017 @02:38PM (#54024153)

    It helps knowing all those things. Now, whoever isn't lazy/incompetent/in bed with the CIA will implement required changes to eliminate vulnerabilities.

    • by Anonymous Coward

      Now, whoever isn't lazy/incompetent/in bed with the CIA will implement required changes to eliminate vulnerabilities.

      I suggest you read that second paragraph again.

      Maybe than you will realize that when some three-letter agency is able to exchange the DLL or the executable for something they wrote they can do that as easily for a gazillion other DLLs and executables on your computer, and that your "lazy/incompetent/in bed with" is nothing more than either ignorance, or sticking your head into the sand.

      Or tro

    • Re:Vault 7 (Score:5, Funny)

      by PolygamousRanchKid ( 1290638 ) on Sunday March 12, 2017 @03:41PM (#54024501)

      Now, whoever isn't lazy/incompetent/in bed with the CIA will implement required changes to eliminate vulnerabilities.

      Why don't we eliminate the CIA instead? They are the problem.

      It's "legal-ish" for the CIA to install malware on the devices of US citizens. It is also legal in the US for the CIA to install malware on the devices of foreigners anywhere in the world.

      However, in most countries of the world, a foreign agency installing malware on devices of its citizens is a crime of espionage, or an act of war. Unfortunately, the CIA doesn't care about harming US citizens, and most definitely doesn't give a rat's ass about harming folks of other countries. Any legal action against the CIA will get you nowhere, really fast.

      So how can you fight back? Well, kick the CIA where it hurts . . . right in their balls. The CIA has two types of agents in foreign countries, so-called "legals" and "illegals". "Legals" work in a consulate or embassy and have diplomatic immunity. "Illegals" are undercover and have no diplomatic immunity. You have no chance as a common citizen of identifying an "illegal".

      "Legals", on the other hand, are quite easy to spot. They will usually have some innocuous sounding title, like, "Under Secretary for Cultural and Economic Exchange". So they can just hang out at cocktail parties and listen to political gossip. "The Economist" recommends: "Just look for someone who is obviously too clever for their job." CIA agents also run the visa department of US embassies and consulates. The want to check out folks even before they travel to the US.

      So just visit your local US embassy or consulate, ask for a visa to the US. The guy who interviews you will be a CIA agent. Do NOT bring any devices with you! Wait outside after closing time for the agent to walk outside.

      Then just kick him in the 'nads. If enough people in the world would do this, maybe even the US might think about taking notice of this.

      • by Anonymous Coward

        Why don't we eliminate the CIA instead? They are the problem.

        The CIA was created in large part to remedy the problem that the United States had suffered in the opening phases of the last two world wars, namely that we were caught with our pants down by enemy attacks due to lack of professional and coordinated intelligence gathering. During the first world war, the United States was caught woefully unprepared by the initiation of unrestricted submarine warfare by Germany and the Zimmerman telegram, which attempted to entice Mexico into invading the United States. At t

        • by Anonymous Coward

          That is just the mainstream bullshit story. Learn some real history. The same people who funded the Nazi founded the CIA.

          • At the beginning of the second world war we were caught almost completely by surprise at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii when naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan wrecked our Pacific Fleet.

            Fucking wrong. We were warned by the British well in advance. We let the attack happen so we could finally get public support for the war.

    • Re:Vault 7 (Score:5, Informative)

      by GuB-42 ( 2483988 ) on Sunday March 12, 2017 @03:43PM (#54024507)

      What Notepad++ did is just a patch to prevent a specific exploit from being used, the underlying "vulnerability" is still there. This may be effective against inexperienced script kiddies but It won't stop the CIA or any self respecting cracker.
      DLL hijacking is actually a feature rather than a bug on general purpose OSes like Windows and Linux. It is very useful for development. Eliminating these kinds of vulnerabilities at a fundamental level means locking down the system, which can be done (ex : Microsoft AppLocker) but it is typically not what power users (the kind that use Notepad++) want.

      • by WD ( 96061 )

        Except there isn't a DLL hijacking vulnerability at all. The CIA "issue" is that on an already-compromised computer, an administrator-privileged attacker can replace a Notepad++ DLL with one that does something else.

        Notepad++ itself cannot do anything to protect itself from being hijacked in such a way.

    • by rew ( 6140 )

      Imagine you have a sixyearold who doesn't want to go to school, so he hides the car keys. This morning he hid the keys in the honey pops box. So you decide to put an alarm on the honey pops. Not the fruitloops next to them, not the sugar bowl, not the fridge! Thousands of other places to hide the item, but you put an alarm on the ONE spot he used this time (And you tell him about the alarm!).

      This is very similar to how this "FIX" affects the CIA from "hiding the keys" again.

      It is wrong to publish about this

  • by Waffle Iron ( 339739 ) on Sunday March 12, 2017 @02:52PM (#54024247)

    This is why I still do all of my development work in edlin.

  • I just use cat. I guess Ed is secure too since no one else's it anymore

  • In peace and freedom loving USA secret police hack you and your TV and phone and car and computer.
  • This is idiotic. (Score:2, Insightful)

    by WD ( 96061 )

    From the Notepad++ page (and even the Slashdot summary): "Note that once usersâ(TM) PCs are compromised, the hackers can do anything on the PCs."

    Repeat after me: If my computer is compromised, there's nothing that any individual app on the system can do to protect itself from being hijacked.

    There's nothing to see here.

    • by eyenot ( 102141 )

      If it's so idiotic, maybe you shouldn't be grandstanding your version of saying the same god damned thing, you chum huffer.

  • The CIA had to get me to install and register a malicious DLL. If they can get me to do that then they can do worse than this. It just seems like the DLL is a place for them to have hidden a malicious payload. They could have chosen a number of other places and likely will just switch now.
  • This isn't a hack of notepad++ [notepad-plus-plus.org]

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