__________________________________________________________ The U.S. Department of Energy Computer Incident Advisory Capability ___ __ __ _ ___ / | /_\ / \___ __|__ / \ \___ __________________________________________________________ INFORMATION BULLETIN Microsoft Unchecked Buffer in Windows Shell Vulnerability [Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-072] December 19, 2002 19:00 GMT Number N-029 ______________________________________________________________________________ PROBLEM: The Windows Shell (Windows Desktop) is responsible for providing the basic framework of the Windows user interface experience. An unchecked buffer exists in one of the functions used by the Windows Shell to extract custom attribute information from audio files. PLATFORM: Windows XP Home Edition Windows XP Professional Windows XP Tablet PC Edition Windows XP Media Center Edition DAMAGE: Code of a remote attacker's choice could be executed including creating, modifying or deleting data, reconfiguring the system, or reformatting the hard drive. SOLUTION: Apply appropriate Microsoft patch. ______________________________________________________________________________ VULNERABILITY The risk is HIGH. An attacker could potentially exploit this ASSESSMENT: vulnerability by creating an .MP3 or .WMA file that contained a corrupt custom attribute and then host it on a website, on a network share, or send it via an HTML email. If a user were to simply hover their mouse pointer over the icon for the file (either on a web page or on the local disk), or open the shared folder where the file was stored, the vulnerable code could be invoked. An HTML email could cause the vulnerable code to be invoked when a user opened or previewed the email. ______________________________________________________________________________ LINKS: CIAC BULLETIN: http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/n-029.shtml ORIGINAL BULLETIN: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp? url=/technet/security/bulletin/MS02-072.asp PATCHES: Windows XP - (32 bit edition) http://microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId= A0BE7AF2-2653-4767-A85D-24BF68D28D20&displaylang=en Windows XP - (64 bit edition) http://microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId= FBA972FB-FF2A-41D0-8745-D31EEFB90437&displaylang=en ______________________________________________________________________________ [***** Start Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-072 *****] Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-072 Unchecked Buffer in Windows Shell Could Enable System Compromise (329390) Originally posted: December 18, 2002 Summary Who should read this bulletin: Customers using Microsoft ® Windows ® XP Impact of vulnerability: Run code of an attacker's choice Maximum Severity Rating: Critical Recommendation: Customers using Microsoft Windows XP should apply the patch immediately. Affected Software: Windows XP Home Edition Windows XP Professional Windows XP Tablet PC Edition Windows XP Media Center Edition End User Bulletin: An end user version of this bulletin is available at: http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/ms02-072.asp. Technical details Technical description: The Windows Shell is responsible for providing the basic framework of the Windows user interface experience. It is most familiar to users as the Windows Desktop, but also provides a variety of other functions to help define the user's computing session, including organizing files and folders, and providing the means to start applications. An unchecked buffer exists in one of the functions used by the Windows Shell to extract custom attribute information from audio files. A security vulnerability results because it is possible for a malicious user to mount a buffer overrun attack and attempt to exploit this flaw. An attacker could seek to exploit this vulnerability by creating an .MP3 or .WMA file that contained a corrupt custom attribute and then host it on a website, on a network share, or send it via an HTML email. If a user were to hover his or her mouse pointer over the icon for the file (either on a web page or on the local disk), or open the shared folder where the file was stored, the vulnerable code would be invoked. An HTML email could cause the vulnerable code to be invoked when a user opened or previewed the email. A successful attack could have the effect of either causing the Windows Shell to fail, or causing an attacker’s code to run on the user’s computer in the security context of the user. Mitigating factors: The vulnerability lies in the Windows Shell, rather than Windows Media Player. As a result, playing an audio file with Windows Media Player would not pose any additional risk. Outlook 98 and 2000 (after installing the Outlook Email Security Update), Outlook 2002, and Outlook Express 6 all open HTML mail in the Restricted Sites Zone. Customers who are using these products and who have also installed Windows XP Service Pack 1 or any recent security patch for Internet Explorer that disables frames in the Restricted Sites zone would not be at risk from automated email-borne attacks. However, these customers could still be attacked if they choose to click on a hyperlink in a malicious HTML email. In the case where an attacker’s code was executed, the code would run in the security context of the user. As a result, any limitations on the user's ability would also restrict the actions that an attacker's code could take. Severity Rating: Windows XP 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. Vulnerability identifier: CAN-2002-1327 Tested Versions: Microsoft tested Windows XP to assess whether it was affected by this vulnerability. Previous versions of Windows do not natively support the automatic parsing of custom attributes associated with audio files and are not vulnerable. Patch availability Download locations for this patch Microsoft Windows XP: 32 bit edition 64 bit edition Additional information about this patch Installation platforms: This patch can be installed on systems running Windows XP Gold and Service Pack 1. Inclusion in future service packs: The fix for this issue will be included in Windows XP Service Pack 2. Reboot needed: Yes Patch can be uninstalled: Yes Superseded patches: None. Verifying patch installation: Windows XP Gold: To verify that the patch has been installed on the machine, confirm that the following registry key has been created on the machine: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\SP1\Q329390 To verify the individual files, use the date/time and version information provided in the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\SP1\Q329390\Filelist Windows XP Service Pack 1: To verify that the patch has been installed on the machine, confirm that the following registry key has been created on the machine: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\SP2\Q329390 To verify the individual files, use the date/time and version information provided in the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\SP2\Q329390\Filelist Caveats: None Localization: Localized versions of this patch are available at the locations discussed in “Patch Availability”. 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 Other information: Acknowledgments Microsoft thanks Foundstone Research Labs for reporting this issue to us and working with us to protect customers. Support: Microsoft Knowledge Base article 329390 discusses 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 (December 18, 2002): Bulletin Created. [***** End Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-072 *****] _______________________________________________________________________________ CIAC wishes to acknowledge the contributions of Microsoft for the information contained in this bulletin. _______________________________________________________________________________ CIAC, the Computer Incident Advisory Capability, 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. 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