__________________________________________________________ The U.S. Department of Energy Computer Incident Advisory Capability ___ __ __ _ ___ / | /_\ / \___ __|__ / \ \___ __________________________________________________________ INFORMATION BULLETIN Unchecked Buffer in Locator Service Vulnerability [Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-001] January 23, 2003 20:00 GMT Number N-033 ______________________________________________________________________________ PROBLEM: The Microsoft Locator service is a name service that maps logical names to network-specific names. A buffer overrun vulnerability exists resulting from a flaw in the way the Locator service handles certain parameter information that is passed to it. PLATFORM: Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, Terminal Server Edition Microsoft Windows 2000 Microsoft Windows XP NOTE: Installed by default in Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 domain controllers. DAMAGE: A remote attacker potentially could cause the Locator Service to fail or could run arbitrary code of attacker's choice with system privileges. SOLUTION: Apply available patches. ______________________________________________________________________________ VULNERABILITY The risk is MEDIUM. The Locator Service is not enabled by ASSESSMENT: default on any affected versions of Windows with the exception of Windows 2000 domain controllers and Windows NT 4.0 domain controllers. A properly-configured firewall could block the calls to the Locator Service, which could protect an affected machine from an Internet-based attack. ______________________________________________________________________________ LINKS: CIAC BULLETIN: http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/n-033.shtml ORIGINAL BULLETIN: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url= /technet/security/bulletin/MS03-001.asp PATCHES: See Microsoft security advisory for links to patches. ______________________________________________________________________________ [***** Start Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-001 *****] Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-001 Unchecked Buffer in Locator Service Could Lead to Code Execution (810833) Originally posted: January 22, 2003 Summary Who should read this bulletin: Customers using Microsoft® Windows® NT 4.0, Windows 2000, or Windows XP. Impact of vulnerability: Run code of the attacker’s choice Maximum Severity Rating: Critical Recommendation: Customers running Windows NT 4.0 domain controllers or Windows 2000 domain controllers should apply the patch immediately. Customers should install the patch at the earliest opportunity on systems running Windows NT 4.0 (workstations and member servers), Windows 2000 (workstations and member servers), and Windows XP. Affected Software: Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, Terminal Server Edition Microsoft Windows 2000 Microsoft Windows XP End User Bulletin: An end user version of this bulletin is available at: http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/ms03-001.asp Technical details Technical description: The Microsoft Locator service is a name service that maps logical names to network-specific names. It ships with Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. By default, the Locator service is enabled only on Windows 2000 domain controllers and Windows NT 4.0 domain controllers; it is not enabled on Windows NT 4.0 workstations or member servers, Windows 2000 workstations or member servers, or Windows XP. A security vulnerability results from an unchecked buffer in the Locator service. By sending a specially malformed request to the Locator service, an attacker could cause the Locator service to fail, or to run code of the attacker's choice on the system. Mitigating factors: The Locator service is not enabled by default on any affected versions of Windows with the exception of Windows 2000 domain controllers and Windows NT 4.0 domain controllers. A properly-configured firewall would block the calls to the Locator service, which would protect an affected machine from an Internet-based attack. Severity Rating: Windows NT 4.0 (Workstations and Member Servers) Moderate Windows NT 4.0 (Domain Controllers Only) Critical Windows NT 4.0, Terminal Server Edition Moderate Windows 2000 (Workstations and Member Servers) Moderate Windows 2000 (Domain Controllers Only) Critical Windows XP Moderate 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-2003-0003 Tested Versions: Microsoft tested Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, and Windows XP to assess whether they are affected by this vulnerability. The Locator service was not available in versions of Windows prior to Windows NT 4.0. Patch availability Download locations for this patch Windows NT 4.0: All except Japanese NEC and Chinese - Hong Kong Japanese NEC Chinese - Hong Kong Windows NT 4.0, Terminal Server Edition: All Windows 2000: All except Japanese NEC Japanese NEC Windows XP: 32-bit Edition 64-bit Edition Additional information about this patch Installation platforms: The Windows NT 4.0 patch can be installed on systems running Service Pack 6a. The Windows NT 4.0, Terminal Server Edition patch can be installed on systems running Windows NT 4.0, Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 6. The Windows 2000 patch can be installed on systems running Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3. The patch for Windows XP can be installed on systems running Windows XP Gold or Service Pack 1. Inclusion in future service packs: The fix for this issue will be included in Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 and Windows XP Service Pack 2. Reboot needed: Yes Patch can be uninstalled: Yes Superseded patches: None. Verifying patch installation: Windows NT 4.0: To verify that the patch has been installed on the machine, confirm that all files listed in the file manifest in Knowledge Base article 810833 are present on the system. Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition: To verify that the patch has been installed on the machine, confirm that all files listed in the file manifest in Knowledge Base article 810833 are present on the system. Windows 2000: 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\Windows 2000\SP4\Q810833. To verify the individual files, use the date/time and version information provided in the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\Windows 2000\SP4\Q810833\Filelist. Windows XP: If installed on Windows XP Gold: To verify that the patch has been installed, confirm that the following registry key has been created on the machine: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Updates\Windows XP\SP1\Q810833. To verify the individual files, use the date/time and version information provided in the following registry key: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Updates\Windows XP\SP1\Q810833\Filelist. If installed on Windows XP Service Pack 1: To verify that the patch has been installed, confirm that the following registry key has been created on the machine: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Updates\Windows XP\SP2\Q810833. To verify the individual files, use the date/time and version information provided in the following registry key: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Updates\Windows XP\SP2\Q810833\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 David Litchfield of Next Generation Security Software Ltd. (http://www.nextgenss.com) for reporting this issue to us and working with us to protect customers. Support: Microsoft Knowledge Base article 810833 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 (January 22, 2003): Bulletin Created. [***** End Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-001 *****] _______________________________________________________________________________ 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) N-023: Vulnerability in CIFS/9000 Samba Server2 2 N-024: Buffer Overflow Vulnerability in Solaris X Window Font Service N-025: Vulnerability in RaQ 4 Servers N-026: Flaw in Microsoft VM Could Enable System Compromise N-027: Flaw in Windows WM_TIMER Message Handling N-028: Vulnerabilities in SSH2 Implementations from Multiple Vendors N-029: Microsoft Unchecked Buffer in Windows Shell Vulnerability N-030: HP: Sendmail Restricted Shell (smrsh) Vulnerability N-031: Buffer Overflows in ISC DHCPD Minires Library N-032: Double-Free Bug in Concurrent Versions System (CVS) Server