__________________________________________________________ The U.S. Department of Energy Computer Incident Advisory Capability ___ __ __ _ ___ / | /_\ / \___ __|__ / \ \___ __________________________________________________________ INFORMATION BULLETIN Microsoft Windows Shell and Program Group Converter Vulnerabilities [Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-037] October 12, 2004 19:00 GMT Number P-007 [REVISED 16 Feb 2005] ______________________________________________________________________________ PROBLEM: A vulnerability was found in the way Windows shell starts applications. Also, a vulnerability exists in Program Group Converter because of the way that it handles specially crafted requests. PLATFORM: Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 6a Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 6 Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 and Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Service Pack 1 Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Version 2003 Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Microsoft Windows Server 2003 64-Bit Edition Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition (SE), and Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (ME) DAMAGE: If a user is logged on with administrative privileges, an attacker who successfully exploited the most severe of these vulnerabilities could take complete control of an affected system, including installing programs; viewing, changing, or deleting data; or creating new accounts with full privileges. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer privileges on the system would be at less risk than users who operate with administrative privileges. However, user interaction is required to exploit these vulnerabilities. SOLUTION: Apply the available updates. ______________________________________________________________________________ VULNERABILITY The risk is MEDIUM. A remote attacker may execute arbitrary ASSESSMENT: code, although a user must be coerced to click a link or attachment on a website. ______________________________________________________________________________ LINKS: CIAC BULLETIN: http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/p-007.shtml ORIGINAL BULLETIN: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms04-037.mspx CVE/CAN: http://www.cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name= CAN-2004-0214, CAN-2004-0572 ______________________________________________________________________________ REVISION HISTORY: 02/16/2005 - updated MS04-037 to reflect addition to Caveats section. Also note that this bulletin is changed to reflect that it does not replace MS04-024. [***** Start Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-037 *****] Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-037 Vulnerability in Windows Shell Could Allow Remote Code Execution (841356) Issued: October 12, 2004 Revised: February 15, 2005 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 841356 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 841356. Tested Software and Security Update Download Locations: Affected Software: • Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 6a – Download the update • Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 6 – Download the update • Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 and Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 – Download the update • Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 – Download the update • Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Service Pack 1 – Download the update • Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Version 2003 – Download the update • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 – Download the update • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 64-Bit 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. Non-Affected Software: • Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 The software in this list has been tested to determine if the versions are affected. Other versions either no longer include security update support or may not be affected. To determine the support lifecycle for your product and version, visit the following Microsoft Support Lifecycle Web site. Top of section General Information Executive Summary Executive Summary: This update resolves several newly-discovered, public vulnerabilities. Each vulnerability is documented in this bulletin in its own Vulnerability Details section. If a user is logged on with administrative privileges, an attacker who successfully exploited the most severe of these vulnerabilities could take complete control of an affected system, including installing programs; viewing, changing, or deleting data; or creating new accounts with full privileges. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer privileges on the system would be at less risk than users who operate with administrative privileges. owever, user interaction is required to exploit these vulnerabilities. We recommend that customers apply the update immediately. Severity Ratings and Vulnerability Identifiers: Vulnerability Identifiers : Shell Vulnerability - CAN-2004-0214 Impact of Vulnerability : Remote Code Execution Windows 98, 98 SE, ME : Not Critical Windows NT 4.0 : Critical Windows 2000 : Critical Windows XP and Windows XP Service Pack 1 : Critical Windows Server 2003 : None Vulnerability Identifiers : Program Group Converter Vulnerability - CAN-2004-0572 Impact of Vulnerability : Remote Code Execution Windows 98, 98 SE, ME : Not Critical Windows NT 4.0 : Important Windows 2000 : Important Windows XP and Windows XP Service Pack 1 : Important Windows Server 2003 : Important Vulnerability Identifiers : Aggregate Severity of All Vulnerabilities Impact of Vulnerability : Windows 98, 98 SE, ME : Not Critical Windows NT 4.0 : Critical Windows 2000 : Critical Windows XP and Windows XP Service Pack 1 : Critical Windows Server 2003 : 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. Top of section Frequently asked questions (FAQ) related to this security update Vulnerability Details Shell Vulnerability - CAN-2004-0214: Mitigating Factors for Shell Vulnerability - CAN-2004-0214: Top of section Security Update Information Installation Platforms and Prerequisites: For information about the specific security update for your platform, click the appropriate link: Windows Server 2003 (all versions) Top of section Windows XP (all versions) Note For Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Version 2003, this security update is the same as the Windows Server 2003 64-Bit Edition security update. Top of section Windows 2000 (all versions) Top of section Windows NT 4.0 (all versions) Top of section Top of section Acknowledgments Microsoft thanks the following for working with us to help protect customers: • Yorick Koster of ITsec Security Services for working with us responsibly on the Shell Vulnerability (CAN-2004-0214). • Roozbeh Afrasiabi for working with us responsibly on the Shell Vulnerability (CAN-2004-0214). Obtaining Other Security Updates: Updates for other security issues are available from the following locations: • Security updates are available from the Microsoft Download Center. You can find them most easily by doing a keyword search for "security_patch." • Updates for consumer platforms are available from 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 Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional. For more information about how to deploy this security update with 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 to 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, see 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 Analyzer and the Microsoft Office Detection 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 (October 12, 2004): Bulletin published • V1.1 (October 25, 2004): Bulletin updated to reduce the scope of a documented workaround to only support Windows XP, Windows XP Service Pack 1, and Windows Server 2003. • V1.2 (February 15, 2005): Bulletin “Caveats” section updated to reflect the availability of Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 891534 as a known issue with this security update on Windows NT Server 4.0 Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 6. This bulletin has also been updated to document that this security update does not replace MS04-024 as was originally described in the bulletin. [***** End Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-037 *****] _______________________________________________________________________________ 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. LAST 10 CIAC BULLETINS ISSUED (Previous bulletins available from CIAC) O-220: "Any to PostScript" (a2ps) Filter Vulnerability O-221: Apache HTTP Server 2.0.52 Released O-222: libXpm Library Contains Multiple Interger and Buffer Overflow Vulnerabilities O-223: RealNetworks, Inc. Releases Update to Address Security Vulnerabilities P-001: Red Hat Updated XFree86 Packages fix Security Issues P-002: Apple Security Update P-003: Updated Cyrus-SASL Packages Fix Security Flaw P-004: Security Vulnerabilities in CUPS May Allow Remote Unprivileged User to Execute Arbitrary Code P-005: Windows SMTP Vulnerability could Allow Remote Code Execution P-006: Microsoft Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (834707)