__________________________________________________________ The U.S. Department of Energy Computer Incident Advisory Center ___ __ __ _ ___ / | /_\ / \___ __|__ / \ \___ __________________________________________________________ INFORMATION BULLETIN Microsoft XMLHTTP Control Vulnerability [Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-008] February 28, 2002 22:00 GMT Number M-051 ______________________________________________________________________________ PROBLEM: A flaw exists in how the XMLHTTP control applies IE security zone settings to a redirected data stream returned in response to a request for data from a web site. PLATFORM: Microsoft XML Core Services versions 2.6, 3.0, and 4.0 An affected version of Microsoft XML Core Services also ships as part of the following products: Microsoft Windows XP Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 Microsoft SQL Server 2000 DAMAGE: An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by specifying a data source on the user’s local system. The attacker could then use this to return information from the local system to the attacker’s web site. SOLUTION: Apply available patch. ______________________________________________________________________________ VULNERABILITY The risk is MEDIUM. This vulnerability does not give an ASSESSMENT: attacker any ability to add, change or delete data. ______________________________________________________________________________ LINKS: CIAC BULLETIN: http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/m-051.shtml ORIGINAL BULLETIN: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/security/bulletin/MS02-008.asp PATCHES: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/q317244/download.asp http://www.microsoft.com/Windowsupdate ______________________________________________________________________________ [***** Start Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-008 *****] Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-008 XMLHTTP Control Can Allow Access to Local Files Originally posted: February 21, 2002 Summary Who should read this bulletin: Customers using Microsoft® XML Core Services 2.6 and later. This includes customers using Microsoft Windows® XP, SQL Server™ 2000, and Internet Explorer 6.0. Impact of vulnerability: Information disclosure Maximum Severity Rating: Critical Recommendation: Customers and system administrators should apply the patch to all affected machines immediately. Affected Software: Microsoft XML Core Services versions 2.6, 3.0, and 4.0 An affected version of Microsoft XML Core Services also ships as part of the following products: Microsoft Windows XP Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Technical description: Microsoft XML Core Services (MSXML) includes the XMLHTTP ActiveX control, which allows web pages rendering in the browser to send or receive XML data via HTTP operations such as POST, GET, and PUT. The control provides security measures designed to restrict web pages so they can only use the control to request data from remote data sources. A flaw exists in how the XMLHTTP control applies IE security zone settings to a redirected data stream returned in response to a request for data from a web site. A vulnerability results because an attacker could seek to exploit this flaw and specify a data source that is on the user’s local system. The attacker could then use this to return information from the local system to the attacker’s web site. An attacker would have to entice the user to a site under his control to exploit this vulnerability. It cannot be exploited by HTML email. In addition, the attacker would have to know the full path and file name of any file he would attempt to read. Finally, this vulnerability does not give an attacker any ability to add, change or delete data. Mitigating factors: The vulnerability can only be exploited via a web site. It would not be possible to exploit this vulnerability via HTML mail. The attacker would need to know the full path and file name of a file in order to read it. The vulnerability does not provide any ability to add, change, or delete files. Severity Rating: Internet Servers Intranet Servers Client Systems MSXML version 2.6 Moderate Moderate Critical MSXML version 3.0 Moderate Moderate Critical MSXML version 4.0 Moderate Moderate Critical The above assessment is based on the types of systems affected by the vulnerability, their typical deployment patterns, and the effect that exploiting the vulnerability would have on them. This vulnerability affects the disclosure of personal information, and is most likely to have an impact on client systems. Vulnerability identifier: CAN-2002-0057 Tested Versions: Microsoft tested MSXML versions 2.0, 2.5, 2.6, 3.0, and 4.0. Previous versions are no longer supported, and may or may not be affected by these vulnerabilities. Patch availability Download locations for this patch Microsoft XML Core Services: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/q317244/download.asp http://www.microsoft.com/Windowsupdate Additional information about this patch Installation platforms: MSXML versions 2.6 Gold, 3.0 Gold, 3.0 Service Pack 1, 3.0 Service Pack 2, or 4.0 Gold Inclusion in future service packs: MSXML, 3.0 SP3 and 4.0 Service Pack 1 Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 Service Pack 1 Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 3 Reboot needed: Yes Superseded patches: None. Verifying patch installation: To verify that the patch has been installed on the machine, confirm that the following registry keys have been created on the machine: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\DataAccess\Q318202 (for MSXML 2.0) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\DataAccess\Q318203 (for MSXML 3.0) HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\MSXML4\Q317244 (for MSXML 4.0) Caveats: None Localization: This patch can be installed on all languages. Obtaining other security patches: Patches for other security issues are available from the following locations: Security patches are available from the Microsoft Download Center, and can be most easily found by doing a keyword search for "security_patch". Patches for consumer platforms are available from the WindowsUpdate web site All patches available via WindowsUpdate also are available in a redistributable form from the WindowsUpdate Corporate site. Other information Support: Microsoft Knowledge Base articles Q318202 (for MSXML 2.0), Q318203 (for MSXML 3.0), and Q317244 (for MSXML 4.0) discuss this issue and will be available approximately 24 hours after the release of this bulletin. Knowledge Base articles can be found on the Microsoft Online Support web site. Technical support is available from Microsoft Product Support Services. There is no charge for support calls associated with security patches. Security Resources: The Microsoft TechNet Security Web Site provides additional information about security in Microsoft products. Disclaimer: The information provided in the Microsoft Knowledge Base is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Microsoft disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall Microsoft Corporation or its suppliers be liable for any damages whatsoever including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, loss of business profits or special damages, even if Microsoft Corporation or its suppliers have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages so the foregoing limitation may not apply. Revisions: V1.0 (February 21, 2002): Bulletin Created. V1.1 (February 27, 2002): Bulletin updated with corrected patch verification information and Knowledge Base articles. [***** End Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-008 *****] _______________________________________________________________________________ CIAC wishes to acknowledge the contributions of Microsoft Corporation for the information contained in this bulletin. _______________________________________________________________________________ CIAC, the Computer Incident Advisory Center, is the computer security incident response team for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the emergency backup response team for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). CIAC is located at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California. CIAC is also a founding member of FIRST, the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams, a global organization established to foster cooperation and coordination among computer security teams worldwide. CIAC services are available to DOE, DOE contractors, and the NIH. CIAC can be contacted at: Voice: +1 925-422-8193 (7x24) FAX: +1 925-423-8002 STU-III: +1 925-423-2604 E-mail: ciac@ciac.org Previous CIAC notices, anti-virus software, and other information are available from the CIAC Computer Security Archive. World Wide Web: http://www.ciac.org/ Anonymous FTP: ftp.ciac.org PLEASE NOTE: Many users outside of the DOE, ESnet, and NIH computing communities receive CIAC bulletins. If you are not part of these communities, please contact your agency's response team to report incidents. Your agency's team will coordinate with CIAC. The Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST) is a world-wide organization. A list of FIRST member organizations and their constituencies can be obtained via WWW at http://www.first.org/. This document was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor the University of California nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation or favoring by the United States Government or the University of California. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or the University of California, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. LAST 10 CIAC BULLETINS ISSUED (Previous bulletins available from CIAC) M-041: Microsoft Internet Explorer Cumulative Patch M-042: Multiple Vulnerabilities in Multiple Implementations of SNMP M-043: Hewlett-Packard Buffer Overflow in Telnet Server Vulnerability M-044: SQL Server Remote Data Source Function Contain Unchecked Buffers M-045: Microsoft Incorrect VBScript Handling in IE M-046: Red Hat "ncurses" Vulnerability M-047: Oracle PL/SQL EXTPROC Database Vulnerability M-048: Oracle 9iAS Default Configuration Vulnerability M-049: Multiple PHP Vulnerabilities M-050: Data Leak with Cisco Express Forwarding