__________________________________________________________ The U.S. Department of Energy Computer Incident Advisory Capability ___ __ __ _ ___ / | /_\ / \___ __|__ / \ \___ __________________________________________________________ INFORMATION BULLETIN Vulnerability in HTML Help Could Allow Remote Code Execution (896358) [Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-026] June 14, 2005 20:00 GMT Number P-223 [REVISED 19 Apr 2007] ______________________________________________________________________________ PROBLEM: A vulnerability exists in HTML Help. PLATFORM: • Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 and Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 • Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 • Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Service Pack 1 (Itanium) • Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Version 2003 (Itanium) • Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition • Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition (SE), and Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (ME) – Review the FAQ section of this bulletin for details about these operating systems. DAMAGE: An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. SOLUTION: Upgrade to the appropriate version. ______________________________________________________________________________ VULNERABILITY The risk is HIGH. An attacker who successfully exploited this ASSESSMENT: vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete date; or create new accounts with full user rights. ______________________________________________________________________________ LINKS: CIAC BULLETIN: http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/p-223.shtml ORIGINAL BULLETIN: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS05-026.mspx CVE/CAN: http://www.cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name= CAN-2005-1208 ______________________________________________________________________________ REVISION HISTORY: 04/19/2007 - revised P-223 to reflect changes Microsoft has made in MS05-026 where the bulletin supsersedence table in the FAQ section revised to include MS02-055. [***** Start Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-026 *****] Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-026 Vulnerability in HTML Help Could Allow Remote Code Execution (896358) Issued: June 14, 2005 | Updated: April 10, 2007 Version: 1.2 Summary Who should read this document: Customers who use Microsoft Windows Impact of Vulnerability: Remote Code Execution Maximum Severity Rating: Critical Recommendation: Customers should apply the update immediately. Security Update Replacement: This bulletin replaces several prior security updates. See the frequently asked questions (FAQ) section of this bulletin for the complete list. Caveats: Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 896358 documents the currently known issues that customers may experience when they install this security update. The article also documents recommended solutions for these issues. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 896358. Tested Software and Security Update Download Locations: Affected Software: • Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 and Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 – Download the update • Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 – Download the update • Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Service Pack 1 (Itanium) – Download the update • Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Version 2003 (Itanium) – Download the update • Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition – Download the update • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 – Download the update • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems – Download the update • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition – Download the update • Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition (SE), and Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (ME) – Review the FAQ section of this bulletin for details about these operating systems. The software in this list has been tested to determine whether the versions are affected. Other versions either no longer include security update support or may not be affected. To determine the support life cycle for your product and version, visit the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Web site. Top of sectionTop of section General Information Executive Summary: This update resolves a newly-discovered, privately-reported vulnerability. A vulnerability exists in HTML Help that could allow remote code execution on an affected system. The vulnerability is documented in the “Vulnerability Details” section of this bulletin. If a user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights. We recommend that customers apply the update immediately. Severity Ratings and Vulnerability Identifiers: Vulnerability Identifiers - HTML Help Vulnerability - CAN-2005-1208 Impact of Vulnerability - Remote Code Execution Windows 98, 98 SE, ME - Critical Windows 2000 - Critical Windows XP Service Pack 1 - Critical Windows XP Service Pack 2 - Critical Windows Server 2003 - Critical Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 - Important This assessment is based on the types of systems that are affected by the vulnerability, their typical deployment patterns, and the effect that exploiting the vulnerability would have on them. Note The severity ratings for non-x86 operating system versions map to the x86 operating systems versions as follows: • The Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Service Pack 1 (Itanium) severity rating is the same as the Windows XP Service Pack 1 severity rating. • The Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Version 2003 (Itanium) severity rating is the same as the Windows XP Service Pack 1 severity rating. • The Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition severity rating is the same as the Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 severity rating. • The Microsoft Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems severity rating is the same as the Windows Server 2003 severity rating. • The Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems severity rating is the same as the Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 severity rating. • The Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition severity rating is the same as the Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 severity rating. Security Update Information Affected Software: For information about the specific security update for your affected software, click the appropriate link: Windows Server 2003 (all versions) Windows XP (all versions) Windows 2000 (all versions) Acknowledgments Microsoft thanks the following for working with us to help protect customers: • Peter Winter-Smith with Next Generation Security Software Ltd. for reporting the HTML Help Vulnerability (CAN-2005-1208). • eEye Digital Security for reporting the HTML Help Vulnerability (CAN-2005-1208). Obtaining Other Security Updates: Updates for other security issues are available at the following locations: • Security updates are available in the Microsoft Download Center. You can find them most easily by doing a keyword search for "security_patch." • Updates for consumer platforms are available at the Windows Update Web site. Support: • Customers in the U.S. and Canada can receive technical support from Microsoft Product Support Services at 1-866-PCSAFETY. There is no charge for support calls that are associated with security updates. • International customers can receive support from their local Microsoft subsidiaries. There is no charge for support that is associated with security updates. For more information about how to contact Microsoft for support issues, visit the International Support Web site. Security Resources: • The Microsoft TechNet Security Web site provides additional information about security in Microsoft products. • Microsoft Software Update Services • Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) • Windows Update • Windows Update Catalog: For more information about the Windows Update Catalog, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 323166. • Office Update Software Update Services: By using Microsoft Software Update Services (SUS), administrators can quickly and reliably deploy the latest critical updates and security updates to Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003-based servers, and to desktop systems that are running Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional. For more information about how to deploy this security update by using Software Update Services, visit the Software Update Services Web site. Systems Management Server: Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) delivers a highly-configurable enterprise solution for managing updates. By using SMS, administrators can identify Windows-based systems that require security updates and can perform controlled deployment of these updates throughout the enterprise with minimal disruption to end users. For more information about how administrators can use SMS 2003 to deploy security updates, visit the SMS 2003 Security Patch Management Web site. SMS 2.0 users can also use Software Updates Service Feature Pack to help deploy security updates. For information about SMS, visit the SMS Web site. Note SMS uses the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyze, Microsoft Office Detection Tool, and the Enterprise Update Scanning Tool to provide broad support for security bulletin update detection and deployment. Some software updates may not be detected by these tools. Administrators can use the inventory capabilities of the SMS in these cases to target updates to specific systems. For more information about this procedure, visit the following Web site. Some security updates require administrative rights following a restart of the system. Administrators can use the Elevated Rights Deployment Tool (available in the SMS 2003 Administration Feature Pack and in the SMS 2.0 Administration Feature Pack) to install these updates. 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 (June 14, 2005): Bulletin published • V1.1 (June 29, 2005): Bulletin "Security Update Information" section revised with updated details for the Windows XP x64 Professional Edition registry Key verification information. • V1.2 (April 10, 2007): Bulletin supersedence table in the FAQ section revised to include MS02-055. [***** End Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-026 *****] _______________________________________________________________________________ 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. 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