Do you use Evernote Web Clipper for the Chrome web browser?
If so, be advised that the developer recently reported that a critical flaw in the extension could allow hackers to access user information from third party online services.
Online security company Guardio discovered the flaw and had this to say:
"Due to Evernote's widespread popularity, this issue had the potential of affecting its consumers and companies who use the extension - about 4,600,000 users at the time of discovery."
The issue is being traced as CVE-2019-12592 and is a Universal Cross-Site Scripting (UXSS) coding error that makes it possible for an attacker to, in the words of Guardio's research team, "bypass the browser's same origin policy, granting the attacker code execution privileges in Iframes beyond Evernote's domain."
Once Chrome's Site Isolation security feature is circumvented, account data from other websites the user visits using Chrome, "including authentication, financials, private conversations in social media, personal emails, and more" are vulnerable and can be harvested with ease.
According to Guardio's CTO Michael Vainshtein
"The vulnerability we discovered is a testament to the importance of scrutinizing browser extensions with extra care. People need to be aware that even the most trusted extensions can contain a pathway for attackers. All it takes is a single unsafe extension to compromise anything you do or store online. The ripple effect is immediate and intense."
Our perspective
Guardio reported the issue to Evernote on May 27th and the company moved quickly to patch the code. At this point, the only thing you need to do in order to be sure you're protected is checking the version of your Evernote extension. If you're using version 7.11.1 or later, you're all set. Updating this extension should be given your highest priority. The risks of exposure are enormous.
Meanwhile, check out this report
This free executive report may give you insights into how to build your business with safe IT environments: 10 Hidden IT Risks That Might Threaten Your Business and 1 Easy Way to Find Them
The author
Thanks for reading this short post. For more tips on thriving with small business technology, check out the other blog posts at DWPia Blogs. I am also available on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
I am Denis Wilson, President and Principal Consultant for DWP Information Architects. I help professionals grow their business by building a foundation of rock-solid information solutions for smaller healthcare, insurance, financial, legal, and nonprofits firms in Ventura County and San Fernando Valley. And have created cost-effective IT solutions, for over 20 years, specializing in cybersecurity and regulatory compliance. I am also a published author and speaker, working extensively with a variety of organizations, as well as providing small business technology education programs through business and professional associations. This just in: I will be speaking regularly at California Lutheran University's Center for Nonprofit Leadership starting soon.
Contact me if you would like me to speak at your association.
