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| Intuit collects a wide verity of information about its users of the new QuickBooks 2000 and QuickBooks Pro 2000 software. The information ranges from system configuration settings to usage behaviors, and the user never aware of this information leakage. |
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Credit:
The information has been provided by Steve Birnbaum.
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Intuit uses Marimba Castanet, an automated software update technology, to update the QuickBooks 2000 software on customers' computers. The client does not allow the user to restrict what information will be sent back upon request by to Intuit server. Intuit is able to collect private user information without the user's knowledge. Intuit has also implemented this software in an insecure manner that allows malicious users to hijack it and either obtain information about the user, or install their own files or programs on the user's computer.
Intuit provides WWW integration by providing links to web sites. When going to such a link, Intuit is sent both the user's unique serial number and their registration number. This allows the monitoring of software installation and user's usage patterns.
Description:
Using two different methods, QuickBooks reports user information back to Intuit.
Issue 1
QuickBooks has integrated the Marimba Castanet product into their software. Immediately upon first execution, QuickBooks displays the license agreement. However, before QuickBooks completes its launch and presents the user with the interface, it connects to Intuit's Castanet server (qbmarimbaqw.quicken.com) on port 80.
Below is the first HTTP session packet. It shows the initial connection to the Castanet server and the transmitting of information regarding the configuration of the host running QuickBooks (such as the operating system version).
The meaning of the other strings that are seen below, such as the reference to "properties.txt" and "any/any" are currently unknown.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
qb2000-pc.1046 -> qbmarimbaqw.quicken.com.http over TCP
POST /UpdateDirChanQB HTTP/1.0.
User-Agent: null.
Connection: Keep-Alive.
Content-length: 391.
Pragma: no-cache.
Content-type: application/marimba.
Request-type: update/13.
.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
qbmarimbaqw.quicken.com.http -> qb2000-pc.1046 over TCP
<No data>
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
qb2000-pc.1046 -> qbmarimbaqw.quicken.com.http over TCP
........%.......qbmarimbaqw.quicken.com...P.....(..
update.sdk....1..L_L....US..L_C....en..
Windows NT..x86..4.0..en_US....UpdateDirChanQB........DATA=AUC01QFN00000
21911004000011501002 0000000000
0000000005200000057010300000000000000000 05701n
ewfeatures 00000000 0000................
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
qb2000-pc.1047 -> qbmarimbaqw.quicken.com.http over TCP
<No data>
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
qbmarimbaqw.quicken.com.http -> qb2000-pc.1046 over TCP
HTTP/1.0 200 Reply follows.
Server: Marimba-Transmitter/4.0.3.
Content-type: application/marimba.
Expires: 0.
Pragma: no-cache.
Connection: Keep-Alive.
Content-length: 140.
.
.........%...B....B..A....A..segment....any/any....T..........UpdateDirC
han.QFNz...0..kE.@.6.f....D.....properties.txt.X+.X.<.....7......p..
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
Next, QuickBooks connects again to the Castanet server and initiates a request for updated information. The following capture gives an indication of the control that the server holds over the client. It includes the receipt of various configuration instructions.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
qb2000-pc.1047 -> qbmarimbaqw.quicken.com.http over TCP
POST /UpdateDirChanQB HTTP/1.0.
User-Agent: null.
Connection: Keep-Alive.
Content-length: 113.
Pragma: no-cache.
Content-type: application/marimba.
Request-type: getfiles/3.
.
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
qbmarimbaqw.quicken.com.http -> qb2000-pc.1046 over TCP
HTTP/1.0 200 Reply follows.
Server: Marimba-Transmitter/4.0.3.
Content-type: application/marimba.
Expires: 0.
Pragma: no-cache.
.
.......... ...........z...0..kE.@.6.f........DAUS000000000000000000
00QFN0000030111004010011501002 0000000000
0000000005200000139010301000000000000000
11801newfeatures n .edition 000000213dff621c4a11b6c0
2b10fe8c8394cd92..0000000000000000000000002000_01_14_17_21_25.
....X+.X.<.....7..........pcapabilities=none
desktop.shortcut=false
extension=channel
install.inactive=ignore
locale=any
macresourceforks=false
mimetype=application/x-castanet-channel
name=UpdateDirChanQB
platform=any
publish.time=944543763933
title=UpdateDirChanQB
type=Data
update.action=ignore
update.active=never
update.inactive=weekly
update.schedule=every 1 weeks on sun update at 04:00AM
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
There are further exchanges between QuickBooks 2000 and the Castanet server. During these exchanges, files are sent and installed without user approval. In fact, the user isn't even aware that this entire exchange is taking place.
The full version of Castanet is able to retrieve information such as, but not limited to IP addresses, user names and host names. The exact information that is obtained depends on what their customer configures the server to request. Marimba explicitly stated that there is no way for the user to prevent certain types of information from being sent if the server requests it. Also an additional module exists that allows remote server to request the client to perform a full disk scan of the computer running the client software and send back its output.
If someone is able to hijack a session, they could install programs that create back doors to allow an intruder to take full control of the computer.
These sessions raise a list of issues:
1) Intuit knows the identity of the user connecting. They can theoretically target specific files to specific users, such as a program to monitor the user's computer or network, even behind a firewall.
2) Since the sessions are not secured, the session can be hijacked and a malicious user can insert their own information into an existing session, allowing them to insert files and /or backdoors onto the user's system. Intuit has chosen not to encrypt the sessions, thereby creating this risk.
3) The user has no control over what information is retrieved from their system. They must simply hope that Intuit won't do something to violate their privacy, and that no malicious users will hijack a legitimate session.
4) Users are unaware of what information is being collected and for what purpose it is being used.
Issue 2
QuickBooks 2000 is integrated with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5. Many of the windows in QuickBooks are HTML generated on the fly. With the seamless web integration, Intuit has created certain text items within the GUI that are in fact links to web sites, and not buttons, to perform local program functions. These links are not labeled as such and appear no different than HTML links that open other local windows. This in itself is not such a security problem.
The issue lies in the method with which Intuit directs the user to a web site. The following is the URL that is accessed when the user clicks on the text of a reminder that the program refers to as an "alert". The below example is linked to by a warning with regard to a periodic tax payment due to the government:
http://redirect.quickbooks.com/redirect/reg=****-****-****/ serial=####-###-####-####/ ?http://www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/menu-e.html
The '*' replace the registration number provided by Intuit. If you have not registered, the value in the URL is "Unregistered". This is a unique number identifying a particular customer of Intuit.
The '#' replace the serial number found on the back of the manual. This is a unique number identifying a specific copy of the software.
When you register your purchased copy of QuickBooks with Intuit after supplying them with your detailed information, you receive a registration number in return. Even if you buy the software, you can only run it a certain number of times without entering a registration number. Therefore, unless you provide them with false information when registering, Intuit knows exactly what actions their users are performing that take them to Internet sites.
Vendor Response:
Once contact was established, the company seemed quite receptive to the above concerns.
Since first contacting Intuit on March 14, 2000, they have implemented the following changes to their QuickBooks 2000 US R5 and Canadian R6:
1) Users installing the R5 and R6 updates are presented with an html window the next time they run the application explaining the use of the Automatic Update feature but also including information on how to disable it.
2) Added a top-level item on the help menu "About Automatic Update," which displays a secondary page used for the previously described html window, and also provides detail about the Automatic Update feature. This is more complete than in the previous help index.
3) All, rather than most, html links to Internet sites are now marked with a lightning bolt. However, users are not told clearly, what this means unless they click on the relevant help link.
4) Instead of sending serial numbers in readable text to their redirect server, they now perform a two-way hash of the information using a proprietary algorithm. This is basic obfuscation. This is not optimum, but Intuit acted to protect against transient sniffing and will use an MD5 one-way hash in the next version of QuickBooks.
5) When running the installer for the update, a connection to Intuit's Castanet server is done if that option was enabled in QuickBooks 2000. This appears to be an unintentional side effect of installing the Automatic Update software itself. As the software installs itself into Windows, it starts itself up the default way; i.e., to check for available updates. However, after installing itself, the software quits, which will terminate any connection it may have initiated. Intuit believes that it's unlikely that, even on a slow computer, any such connection would remain open long enough for any content to actually be downloaded to the computer.
6) Intuit is planning to switch to the industry standard, highest security level SSL for all Castanet updates beginning with the next version of QuickBooks. The Castanet SDK software embedded in QuickBooks 2000 currently supports SSL enablement and provides other security features. However, Intuit believes that updating QuickBooks 2000 to enable SSL would risk key functionality in the product and risks adversely affecting existing users.
Quick Solution/Workaround:
Turn off the Automatic Update feature. Information about how to do this is found in the help menu of QuickBooks 2000.
Alternatively, use Intuit's QuickBooks 2000/QuickBooks Pro 2000 on a computer that is a dedicated, standalone computer with no modem or network interface. The computer should not have Internet connectivity capability at any time.
Solution:
Customers should contact Intuit through their web site at:
http://www.intuit.com/corporate/quickbooks2000privacy/
And request that this issue be resolved immediately.
The customer service or pay-per-use support representative you speak with may try to tell you that no method other than the Castanet automated updates is available for software updates, or that they are not sure. However, an additional phone call to their customer service department will reveal to you that the updates are available via FTP on the Internet and they do indeed mail software updates via diskette to customers if requested.
The quick solution of using QuickBooks on a dedicated computer with no Internet capability is also sufficient for the long-term. Intuit will also be introducing additional security and privacy enhancements in the next version of the software.
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