Vulnerability: Logitech Options users should uninstall immediately (updated)

A researcher from Google’s Project Zero discovered a critical vulnerability in the software for Logitech keyboards and mouses. As a workaround, Logitech Options users should uninstall the software. With no patch or fix in sight, the issue can be easily exploited.

The vulnerability was discovered by Google Project Zero security researcher Tavis Ormandy. He found that the Logitech Options software opens a local websockets port which takes commands without authentication reports myce.

Attackers could exploit this issue by sending simulated keystrokes from any website and thus execute pretty much anything on affected systems.

Ormandy discovered the issue when he installed the software to configure the buttons of his mouse on Windows. The 150 MB large application automatically starts when Windows starts and then also opens the vulnerable port on which a websockets service runs. Websites can communicate directly with the websockets service and because there is no authentication, it will accept any command it receives. Even worse, the software also doesn’t check where the commands originate from, which means it will accept any commands from any website.

Only one small security measure could stop a possible attack but is easily bypassed, as Ormandy explains, “the only “authentication” is that you have to provide a pid [process ID]  of a process owned by your user, but you get unlimited guesses so you can brute force it in microseconds.”

Ormandy reported the issues to Logitech developers in September this year and although they assured him they understood the problem, the last release of the software still didn’t contain a proper fix. As part of Google Project Zero’s responsible disclosure policy, Logitech was given a 90-day deadline to fix the issue. That deadline now expired and the issue is therefore now publicly disclosed.

Users who have Logitech Options installed should uninstall the software immediately, it will be very easy for attackers to exploit this issue and any visited website is a security risk when the software runs on the computer.

Update: Logitech is now offering an updated version of their Options software that fixes the vulnerabiity. Please download the updated version from here.