Memory-hogging bug offers universal browser crash exploit
Grease Monkey
Let's be fair to MS for once... #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 15:21 GMT
I thought IE didn't handle Java natively these days. Don't you have to install the Sun runtime if you want to run Java in IE?
As such there's not a lot MS can do about it other than wait for Sun to update their code.
Doug
don't work on Firefox #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 15:45 GMT

Don't work on Firefox 3.5.1
Anonymous Coward
RE: Grease Monkey #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 15:45 GMT

Java != JavaScript
This post has been deleted by a moderator
This post has been deleted by a moderator
Len Goddard
Javascript, not java #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 15:46 GMT
Nothing to do with java or sun. So we can happily go back to blaming M$ since firefox/opera have already managed to fix the problem.
Anonymous Coward
Not to worry... #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 15:46 GMT

According to the link, Microsoft says they'll fix it in IE9. So that's alright then.
Anonymous Coward
Isn't FF wonderful? #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 23:01 GMT

With no-script add-on, of course.
Richard Porter
Shouldn't be a problem with NetSurf then. #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 23:06 GMT

Javascript = what javascript?
The First Dave
Limits #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 23:06 GMT

So, apparently if you ask a browser to do an awful lot of work, it sometimes has problems?
Is that why my Fibonacci sequence won't run for more than a day or two on any machine?
Ginger The Cat
Kazehakase looks ok #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 23:06 GMT
Kazehakase on Ubuntu looks ok so me and the other 3 guys will be ok :)
IndianaJ
Let's be fair to Grease Monkey #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 23:06 GMT

We've all made that mistake once. It was 12 years ago for me and still bear the scars from a Java devver.
Back on topic, doesn't work in FF 3.011 either. *click* *click* *click* NS_DOM_ERROR_NOT_SUPPORTED.
Amazed at Ubuntu killing of random processes though.
Steven Knox
DOM is NOT part of JavaScript #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 23:06 GMT

See title (and http://www.w3.org/DOM/)
E 2
Can do this to most any box without a browser #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 23:06 GMT

while (1)
void *foo = malloc(1000000);
Not the memory leak, just the massive allocation.
And though it isn't memory, there's always this gem:
while (1)
fork();
Whats the big deal?
Anonymous Coward
At last a fair opportunity #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 23:06 GMT

to compare the vulnerabilities and patching priorities of all browsers across all platforms. See which browsers are fixed first and download them. Those that come in last are the least worth your consideration. Then everyone could shut up about browsers.
Joe Futrelle
browsers are memory hogging bugs already #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 23:06 GMT

lynx forever!
Charlie Barnes
Slowdown #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 23:06 GMT

"by tricking a browser into allocating huge chunks of memory"
You mean trying to use ITV's TV Guide?
James O'Brien
What? No mention about Safari? #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 23:06 GMT

All the other browsers have either fixed it or are letting it be (M$) but what about the golden child of the computing world?
Oh wait, thats right. Any mention of it on the forums will be deleted the user account deleted and the long arm of the lawyers with a defamation lawsuit to those who dared to badmouth Apple. My bad.
/Yes yes let the flames commence.
Cameron Colley
Forget the browsers! #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 23:06 GMT

Seems that Linux, or Kubuntu at least, fails it's duty as an operating system.
After watching Konqueror eat its way through 6GB of physical and 4GB of swap memory I can only conclude that I need to find a Linux kernel that actually works or get the NVIDIA drivers working under BSD or OpenSolaris ASAP.
Who knew mainstream Linux wasn't an operating system?
John Smith 19
More an implementation failure than a language failure #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 23:06 GMT

But isn't memory consumption always an issue in mobile devices?
Jeremy 2
It's a bit of a slow burner though... #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 23:06 GMT
I've clicked the button in IE8 about 3 minutes ago and it's currently sitting on a whopping 9.5MB of RAM and growing at a bit less than 1MB/minute. Admittedly it is growing but at this ratei it'll take about 24 hours to max out the physical memory I've got free and that's before it even starts paging...
Anonymous Coward
"Grease Monkey" #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 23:06 GMT

Say, with that handle, are you trying to write Greasemonkey scripts using Java by any chance?
That could explain any problems you've been experiencing.
grumpy
Not my Firefox, it doesn't #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 23:06 GMT

Just tested it with FF 3.0.11. A whole lot of nuffin happened. So there's only reason to panic if you haven't updated to latest patch, innit? Same old, same old...
Steve Foster
@AC 15:40 #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 23:06 GMT
Yes, but will it be allowed into the EU?
LaeMi Qian
IIRC #
Posted Friday 17th July 2009 23:06 GMT

Javascript's only relationship to Java was a desire to ride the former on the latter's coat-tails back when Java was going to solve world hunger and then some.
Anonymous Coward
N97 seems to be immune #
Posted Saturday 18th July 2009 17:13 GMT
Just tried it out on my N97, nothing happens. Either the script doesn't work there or it's been fixed already.
Anonymous Coward
I wonder... #
Posted Saturday 18th July 2009 17:19 GMT

if I can I embed JavaScript in an email and send it to my mates new JesusPhone?
Anonymous Coward
"The flaw works by tricking a browser into allocating huge chunks of memory" #
Posted Monday 20th July 2009 08:31 GMT

I thought that was the default behaviour for Firefox?
Martin Nicholls
You could... #
Posted Monday 20th July 2009 08:31 GMT
Write 'exploits' like that till the cows come home.
I wrote one about 4 months ago that does exactly the same thing but faster with simpler code - on 64bit browsers /really/ fun stuff happens. Takes out opera, firefox, ie, safari.. you name it.
Don't see why these guys get credit for stating the obvious.
Tom Chiverton 1
Surprised ? #
Posted Monday 20th July 2009 11:56 GMT
You shouldn't be surprised at what happens on 'nix systems, as that is what the last-ditch kernel-based out-of-memory process killer does - trys to keep the O/S up by killing the hogs.
Field Marshal Von Krakenfart
That's nothing.... #
Posted Monday 20th July 2009 11:56 GMT

I've run my college final year (a natty little DOS based application) project on nearly every version of windoze I ever had access to, the best result was a total lock-up, usually I got the BSOD.
Still, what do you expect, writing directly to the screen.... Ahhhhh those were the days.....
Oninoshiko
Re: Cameron Colley #
Posted Monday 20th July 2009 20:18 GMT

NVIDIA's drivers should work out of the box on OpenSolaris. In addition they are heavily tested as SMI ships NVIDIA boards in a number of their products.
Mine's the one with 2009.06 and an NVIDIA card in the pocket...
DarkHorseDre
Bare-in-mind.. #
Posted Tuesday 21st July 2009 14:58 GMT

.. that the code does NOT loop to cause this failure!
Pretty poor after 9 years and as a standard 'feature' of ...DOM..
Top marks to M$ for "just saying no" - But Bill, I just downloaded IE8!??!
*I downloaded it as there are times when we are forced to use IE....