__________________________________________________________ The U.S. Department of Energy Computer Incident Advisory Capability ___ __ __ _ ___ / | /_\ / \___ __|__ / \ \___ __________________________________________________________ INFORMATION BULLETIN Microsoft Unchecked Buffer in SQL Server 2000 Utilities Could Allow Code Execution [Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-038] July 26, 2002 15:00 GMT Number M-101 [REVISED 16 Jun 2005] ______________________________________________________________________________ PROBLEM: Security Vulnerabilities were found in Microsoft SQL Server 2000 and Microsoft Desktop Engine 2000. PLATFORM: Those running Microsoft SQL Server 2000 and Microsoft Desktop Engine (MSDE) 2000. DAMAGE: The vulnerabilities enable users to run code on the server. SOLUTION: Apply the patch as directed by the advisory. ______________________________________________________________________________ VULNERABILITY The risk is LOW. The user must already have significant ASSESSMENT: privileges such as being a db_owner or db_ddladmin, or being able to log on through the server's keyboard. ______________________________________________________________________________ LINKS: CIAC BULLETIN: http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/m-101.shtml ORIGINAL BULLETIN: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/security/bulletin/MS02-038.asp PATCHES: http://support.microsoft.com/support/misc/kblookup.asp?id=Q316333 ADDITIONAL LINK: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-035 http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS02-035.mspx ______________________________________________________________________________ REVISION HISTORY: 06/16/2005 - revised to add a link to Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-035. [***** Start Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-038 *****] Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-038 Unchecked Buffer in SQL Server 2000 Utilities Could Allow Code Execution (Q316333) Originally posted: July 24, 2002 Summary Who should read this bulletin: System administrators using Microsoft(r) SQL Server(tm) 2000 and Microsoft Desktop Engine 2000. Impact of vulnerability: Two vulnerabilities, both of which could enable an attacker to run code on the server. Maximum Severity Rating: Moderate Recommendation: System administrators should consider installing the patch. Affected Software: * Microsoft SQL Server 2000. * Microsoft Desktop Engine (MSDE) 2000 Technical details Technical description: This patch eliminates two newly discovered vulnerabilities affecting SQL Server 2000 and MSDE 2000: * A buffer overrun vulnerability that occurs in several Database Consistency Checkers (DBCCs) that ship as part of SQL Server 2000. DBCCs are command console utilities that allow maintenance and other operations to be performed on a SQL Server. While many of these are executable only by sysadmin, some are executable by members of the db_owner and db_ddladmin roles as well. In the most serious case, exploiting this vulnerability would enable an attacker to run code in the context of the SQL Server service, thereby giving the attacker complete control over all databases on the server. * A SQL injection vulnerability that occurs in two stored procedures used in database replication. One of these can only be run by users who have been assigned the db_owner role; the other, due to a permissions error, could be run by any user who could log onto the server interactively. Exploiting the vulnerability could enable an attacker to run operating system commands on the server, but is subject to significant mitigating factors as discussed below. Mitigating factors: Buffer Overrun Vulnerability in Database Consistency Checkers: * Both the db_owner and db_ddladmin roles carry with them significant privileges, and only should be granted to trusted users. * This allows the user to escalate privileges to the level of the service account. And this escalation would be minimal if best practices were followed and SQL were installed as a normal domain account. SQL Injection Vulnerability in Replication Stored Procedures: * Exploiting the vulnerability would, at a minimum, require that the attacker have the ability to log onto the server interactively. However, best practices strongly militate against giving such permissions to untrusted users. * Simply being able to run the affected stored procedures would not enable an attacker to exploit the vulnerability. As discussed in the FAQ, the vulnerability could only be exploited if the administrator had previously enabled the SQL Server Agent Proxy account. By default, this account is disabled. * Even when enabled, the SQL Server Agent Proxy account has by default only the privileges associated with a domain user. If administrators follow best practices, it is likely that any user who could exploit the vulnerability would already have this level of privilege. Severity Rating: Buffer Overrun Vulnerability in Database Consistency Checkers: | Internet Servers | Intranet Servers | Client Systems | SQL Server 2000 | Moderate | Moderate | None | SQL Injection Vulnerability in Replication Stored Procedures: | Internet Servers | Intranet Servers | Client Systems | SQL Server 2000 | Low | Low | None 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. The Buffer Overrun vulnerability in Database Consistency Checkers has been rated as a moderate-risk vulnerability because it could only be exploited by a user who already had significant privileges on the system. The SQL Injection vulnerability in replication stored procedures has been rated as a low-risk vulnerability because it could not be exploited under default conditions. Vulnerability identifiers: * Buffer overrun vulnerability in Database Consistency Checkers: CAN-2002-0644 * SQL injection vulnerability in replication stored procedures: CAN-2002-0645 Tested Versions: Microsoft tested SQL 7.0 and 2000 (and their associated versions of MSDE) to assess whether they are affected by these vulnerabilities. Previous versions are no longer supported, and may or may not be affected by these vulnerabilities. Patch availability Download locations for this patch * SQL Server 2000: http://support.microsoft.com/support/misc/kblookup.asp?id=Q316333 Additional information about this patch Installation platforms: This patch can only be installed on systems running SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 2. Inclusion in future service packs: The fix for this issue will be included in SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 3. Reboot needed: No. The SQL Server and SQL Agent services only needs to be restarted after applying the patch Patch can be uninstalled: Yes. The readme.txt describing the installation instructions also contains instructions on removing the patch. Superseded patches: This patch supersedes the one provided in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-034, which was itself a cumulative patch. Verifying patch installation: * To ensure you have the fix installed properly, verify the individual files by consulting the date/time stamp of the files listed in the file manifest in Microsoft Knowledge Base article at http://support.microsoft.com/support/misc/kblookup.asp?id=Q316333 Caveats: * This patch does not include the functionality of the Killpwd tool provided in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-035. * The patch also does not supersede any previously released patches for MDAC or OLAP under SQL Server 2000. At this writing, these patches include the ones discussed in: * * Microsoft Security Bulletin MS00-092 * * Microsoft Security Bulletin MS01-041 * * Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-020 * * Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-030 * The process for installing the patch varies somewhat depending on the specific configuration of the server. System administrators should ensure that they read the Readme.txt file in the patch package to ensure the patch is installed correctly. 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 Cesar Cerrudo for reporting this issue to us and working with us to protect customers. Support: * Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q316333 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 (July 24, 2002): Bulletin Created. [***** End Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-038 *****] ______________________________________________________________________________ CIAC wishes to acknowledge the contributions of Microsoft Corporation 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. LAST 10 CIAC BULLETINS ISSUED (Previous bulletins available from CIAC) M-091: Microsoft Unchecked Buffer in SQLXML Vulnerability M-092: Cisco Buffer Overflow in UNIX VPN Client M-093: Apache HTTP Server Chunk Encoding Vulnerability M-094: Microsoft SQL Server 2000 OpenDataSource Buffer Overflow M-095: OpenSSH Challenge Response Vulnerabilities M-096: Microsoft Windows Media Player Vulnerabilities M-097: Cisco ACS Acme.server traversal Vulnerability M-098: PGP Outlook Encryption Plug-in Vulnerability M-099: Microsoft Cumulative Patch for SQL Server M-100: Microsoft Server Response toSMTP Client EHLO Command Results in Buffer Overrun