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Apache HTTP Server on Win32 Vulnerability (CIAC M-070)

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                       The U.S. Department of Energy
                     Computer Incident Advisory Center
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                             INFORMATION BULLETIN

                   Apache HTTP Server on Win32 Vulnerability
                      [CERT Vulnerability Note VU#124003]

April 23, 2002 21:00 GMT                                          Number M-070
______________________________________________________________________________
PROBLEM:       A vulnerability has been identified in the Apache HTTP Server 
               running on Win32 systems. 
PLATFORM:      The following Win32 systems running Apache HTTP Servers: 
               Windows 9x, Windows Me, Windows NT/2000/XP. 
DAMAGE:        An unauthenticated, remote attacker could execute commands on 
               the vulnerable server with the privileges of the Apache 
               process. 
SOLUTION:      Upgrade to Apache 1.3.24 or 2.0.34-beta. 
______________________________________________________________________________
VULNERABILITY  The risk is HIGH. The vulnerability allows remote command 
ASSESSMENT:    execution and arbitrary file viewing. 
______________________________________________________________________________
LINKS: 
 CIAC BULLETIN:      http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/m-070.shtml 
 ORIGINAL BULLETIN:  http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/124003 
______________________________________________________________________________

[***** Start CERT Vulnerability Note VU#124003 *****]

CERT Vulnerability Note VU#124003

Apache HTTP Server on Win32 systems does not securely handle input passed 
to CGI programs

Overview

A vulnerability in the Apache HTTP Server running on Win32 systems 
(Windows 9x/Me, Windows NT/2000/XP) could allow an attacker to execute 
commands with the privileges of the web server process. 

I. Description

The Apache HTTP Server is a freely available web server that runs on a 
variety of operating systems including Unix, Linux, and Microsoft Windows 
(Win32). Apache supports the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) that defines 
a standard interface between the HTTP server and external applications. 
On Win32 systems, batch or command shell programs (files typically with 
.bat or .cmd extensions) can be executed via the CGI interface, and these 
programs are executed within a full command shell (command.com on 
Windows 9x/Me, cmd.exe in Windows NT/2000/XP). 

Ory Segal of Sanctum has reported a vulnerability in which Apache on Win32 
does not securely handle the arguments passed to batch or command shell 
CGI programs. By crafting a CGI request containing the "|" (pipe) 
character, an attacker can cause the program to execute arbitrary 
commands with the privileges of the Apache process. By default, Apache 
is installed with local SYSTEM privileges in Windows NT, 2000, and XP. 
In Windows 9x/Me, all programs including Apache run with full privileges. 

II. Impact

An unauthenticated, remote attacker could execute commands on the 
vulnerable server with the privileges of the Apache process. By default, 
Apache runs with local SYSTEM privileges in Windows NT, 2000, and XP. 
In Windows 9x/Me, Apache runs with full privileges. 

III. Solution

Upgrade Apache 

This vulnerability is resolved in Apache 1.3.24 and 2.0.34-beta. Please 
see the release Announcement for version 1.3.24. The Apache HTTP Server 
is available from the Apache web site.

Run Apache with User privileges

On Windows NT, 2000, and XP systems, the Apache service can be configured 
to run as a specified user instead of local SYSTEM. By carefully 
specifying the privileges of the Apache user, an administrator can 
restrict the ability of a CGI program to access files and execute commands. 

Systems Affected

Vendor 	Status 		Date Updated 
Apache 	Vulnerable 	11-Apr-2002 

References

http://www.apache.org/dist/httpd/
http://www.apache.org/dist/httpd/CHANGES_1.3
http://www.apache.org/dist/httpd/Announcement.html
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/4335
http://online.securityfocus.com/archive/1/263370
http://www.w3.org/CGI/
http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/cgi/ 

Credit
The CERT/CC acknowledges Ory Segal for reporting this vulnerability. 

This document was written by Art Manion. 

Other Information

Date Public 03/21/2002 
Date First Published 04/11/2002 10:43:48 AM 
Date Last Updated 04/22/2002 
CERT Advisory   
CVE Name CAN-2002-0061 
Metric 11.06 
Document Revision 17 

[***** End CERT Vulnerability Note VU#124003 *****]

_______________________________________________________________________________

CIAC wishes to acknowledge the contributions of CERT and Ory Segal for the 
information contained in this bulletin.
_______________________________________________________________________________


CIAC, the Computer Incident Advisory Center, is the computer
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