__________________________________________________________ The U.S. Department of Energy Computer Incident Advisory Capability ___ __ __ _ ___ / | /_\ / \___ __|__ / \ \___ __________________________________________________________ INFORMATION BULLETIN Microsoft Elevation of Privilege in SQL Server Web Tasks [Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-061] October 17, 2002 20:00 GMT Number N-008 [REVISED 16 Jun 2005] ______________________________________________________________________________ PROBLEM: There are a number of flaws in the webtask functionality that may allow an attacker to gain control of the database by elevating their privileges. SOFTWARE: * Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 * Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) 1.0 * Microsoft SQL Server 2000 * Microsoft Desktop Engine (MSDE) 2000 DAMAGE: By exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker can elevate his or her privileges and add themselves to the SYSADMIN group. SOLUTION: Apply appropriate patch based on Microsoft's bulletin. ______________________________________________________________________________ VULNERABILITY The risk is MEDIUM. An attacker must be authenticated as a user ASSESSMENT: of the SQL server, however by exploiting this vulnerability an attacker may choose to run OS commands or add themselves to the SYSADMIN group. ______________________________________________________________________________ LINKS: CIAC BULLETIN: http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/n-008.shtml ORIGINAL BULLETIN: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/ default.asp?url=/technet/security/bulletin/ MS02-061.asp 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 MS02-061 *****] Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-061 Elevation of Privilege in SQL Server Web Tasks (Q316333) Originally posted: October 16, 2002 Summary Who should read this bulletin: System administrators using Microsoft® SQL Server™ 7.0, SQL Server 2000, Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) 1.0, and Microsoft Desktop Engine (MSDE) 2000. Impact of vulnerability: Elevation of privilege Maximum Severity Rating: Critical Recommendation: System administrators should apply the patch to affected systems. Affected Software: Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) 1.0 Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Microsoft Desktop Engine (MSDE) 2000 Technical details Technical description: This is a cumulative patch that includes the functionality of all previously released patches for SQL Server 7.0, SQL Server 2000, and Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) 1.0, Microsoft Desktop Engine (MSDE) 2000. In addition, it eliminates one newly discovered vulnerability. SQL Server 7.0 and 2000 provide stored procedures which is a collection of Transact-SQL statements stored under a name and processed as a group. One stored procedure, an extended stored procedure and weak permissions on a table combine to allow a low privileged user the ability to run, delete, insert or update web tasks. An attacker who is able to authenticate to a SQL server could delete, insert or update all the web tasks created by other users. In addition, the attacker could run already created web tasks in the context of the creator of the web task. This typically runs in the context of the SQL Server Agent service account. Mitigating factors: * It is necessary to be an authenticated user of the SQL Server. * Exploiting this vulnerability could allow the attacker to escalate privileges to the level of the SQL Server service account. By default, the service runs with the privileges of a domain user, rather than with system privileges. * Web tasks have to exist in the first place. Severity Rating: Internet Servers Intranet Servers Client Systems SQL Server 7.0 (Including MSDE 1.0) Critical Critical None SQL Server 2000 (Including MSDE 2000) Critical Critical 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. This issue received a critical rating because an authenticated user could connect to a SQL Server and insert, delete or update web tasks. Vulnerability identifier: CAN-2002-1145 Tested Versions: Microsoft tested SQL Server 7.0 and SQL Server 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 * Microsoft SQL Server 7.0: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q327068&sd=tech * Microsoft SQL Server 2000: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q316333&sd=tech Additional information about this patch Installation platforms: * The SQL Server 7.0 patch can be installed on systems running SQL Server 7.0 Service Pack 4. * The SQL Server 2000 patch can 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. However, it might be necessary to restart the SQL Server service. Patch can be uninstalled: No. Superseded patches: This patch supersedes the one provided in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-056, which was itself a cumulative patch. Verifying patch installation: * SQL Server 7.0: 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=Q327068 * SQL Server 2000: 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: * If you are running Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 6, you must apply the hotfix that is described in Q258437 before applying this patch. Q258437 is now available for public download. See the Knowledge base article for more information. * This patch does not include the functionality of the Killpwd tool provided in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-035. * The patch 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 MS02-030 * 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 David Litchfield of Next Generation Security Software Ltd. for reporting this issue to us and working with us to protect customers. We would also like to thank Martin Rakhmanoff (jimmers@yandex.ru) for contributing to the investigation. Support: * Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q316333 discusses this issue. 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 (October 16, 2002): Bulletin Created. [***** End Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-061 *****] _______________________________________________________________________________ CIAC wishes to acknowledge the contributions of Microsoft Corporation and Next Generation Security Software Ltd 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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