A new loophole in HTML 5 coding would allow websites to flood users with gigabytes of junk data. Popular browsers are said to be most vulnerable tot he bug.
According to developer, Feross Aboukhadijeh, each browser offers different storage parameters, while several support user-definable limits and provide 2.5 megabytes minimum of data to be stored on a user’s PC.
Aboukhadijeh discovered a loophole by developing several temporary websites and found that every site was enabled to store up to the limit of data.
Through endless development of new linked websites the flaw can be used to drain off huge amounts of data onto targeted PCs.
"Cleverly coded websites have effectively unlimited storage space on visitor’s computers," Aboukhadijeh said.
"For 32-bit browsers, like Chrome, the entire browser may crash before the disk is filled."
Firefox users will not be affected as the browser implements localStorage.
Additionally, the developer has released a code to address the bug and has developed a dedicated website known as Filldisk to highlight the loophole.
