Tricking browser-dependent software

[Jonny69]

We've got some software we use here in work that runs on IE5.5 and IE6. It works on IE7 but only after it has been patched. It seems to do a simple check of the browser because if you run it in a version of IE that it doesn't recognise (example IE7 before it is patched) you get the message "XXX can only be accessed using IE 5 or above"

It blatantly will run in Firefox and IE7, it's just a simple ASP application so I was wondering if there is a way of either tricking it into not checking or changing a reg value so that what it sees makes it think it is using IE 5.5 or 6

Any ideas?

 

[bledd]

are you able to contact the manufacturer?

 

[Jonny69]

I am the manufacturer, I'm being naughty at work

I found this line of code:

Response.Write("  if (sBrowser.indexOf(""MSIE 5.5"") == ""-1"" && sBrowser.indexOf(""MSIE 6."") == ""-1"" && sBrowser.indexOf(""MSIE 7."") == ""-1"") {" & vbcrlf)

And if I put a ' before it I can stop it giving the prompt message, but it won't log in. Maybe it won't work on FF after all

 

[z0mbi3]

what application out of interest?

 

[tolien]

In Firefox, there are extensions that'll change the reported User Agent, so it should see you as just another IE user.

User Agent Switcher, for example.

 

[Jonny69]

what application out of interest?

I can't really say unfortunately.

Cheers Tolien, I'll look it up.

Edit: Weeeey it almost works. It logs in now so just as I expected the code is pretty simple for checking the browser. Trouble is all the menus are missing so it isn't compatible. I reckon it's something in Firefox that defaults to not running the .asp scripts.

 

[Angus-Higgins]

In Firefox you could just edit the User Agent String.

Angus Higgins

 

[tolien]

I thought ASP was server-side?

In Firefox you could just edit the User Agent String.

It's easier (IMO) to select an option from a list, but yeah, general.useragent.extra.firefox will do it.

 

[Jonny69]

I thought ASP was server-side?

It is but we run local asp and sql servers on our workstations so we can do testing and not hog the bandwidth and server space. Each of the databases are about 20Gb so it's just easier on the network if we can run what we can locally.

 

[tolien]

In which case it should run fine, whatever browser you use - there's nothing within Firefox (AFAIK) to block anything like that.