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The U.S. Department of Energy
Computer Incident Advisory Capability
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INFORMATION BULLETIN
Microsoft Cumulative Patch for Internet Explorer
[Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-066]
November 21, 2002 18:00 GMT Number N-018
______________________________________________________________________________
PROBLEM: There are six new vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer.
- Malformed PNG image file failure
- Encoded characters information disclosure
- Frames cross site scripting
- Temporary Internet files folders name reading
- Cross domain verification via cached methods
- Improper cross domain security validation with frames
A description of each vulnerability, if exploitable, is provided
within Microsoft's Security bulletin.
AFFECTED Internet Explorer 5.01, 5.5, and 6.0.
SOFTWARE:
DAMAGE: The aggregate of severity is based on the types of systems
affected by the vulnerability, their deployment patterns, and
the effect that exploiting the vulnerability would have on
them.
SOLUTION: Apply appropriate patch for respective Internet Explorer
version as prescribed by Microsoft.
______________________________________________________________________________
VULNERABILITY The risk is MEDIUM. The most serious vulnerability could enable
ASSESSMENT: an attacker to execute commands on a user's system.
______________________________________________________________________________
LINKS:
CIAC BULLETIN: http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/n-018.shtml
ORIGINAL BULLETIN: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=
/technet/security/bulletin/MS02-066.asp
PATCHES: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/
q328970/default.asp
______________________________________________________________________________
[***** Start Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-066 *****]
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-066
Cumulative Patch for Internet Explorer (Q328970)
Originally posted: November 20, 2002
Summary
Who should read this bulletin: Customers using Microsoft® Internet Explorer
Impact of vulnerability: Six new vulnerabilities, the most serious of which
could enable an attacker to execute commands on a user’s system.
Maximum Severity Rating: Important
Recommendation: Customers should install the patch at the earliest opportunity.
Affected Software:
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0
End User Bulletin: An end user version of this bulletin is available at:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/ms02-066.asp
Technical details
Technical description:
This is a cumulative patch that includes the functionality of all previously
released patches for IE 5.01, 5.5 and 6.0. In addition, it eliminates the
following six newly discovered vulnerabilities:
- A buffer overrun vulnerability that occurs because Internet Explorer does
not correctly check the parameters of a PNG graphics file when it is opened.
To the best of Microsoft’s knowledge, this vulnerability could only be used
to cause Internet Explorer to fail. The effect of exploiting the vulnerability
against Internet Explorer would be relatively minor - the user would only need
to restart the browser to restore normal operation. However, a number of other
Microsoft products - notably, most Microsoft Office products and Microsoft
Index Server - rely on Internet Explorer to render PNG files, and exploiting
the vulnerability against such an application would cause them to fail as well.
Because of this, Microsoft recommends that customers install this patch
regardless of whether they are using Internet Explorer as their primary
web browser.
- An information disclosure vulnerability related to the way that Internet
Explorer handles encoded characters in a URL. This vulnerability could allow
an attacker to craft a URL containing some encoded characters that would
redirect a user to a second web site. If a user followed the URL, the
attacker would be able to piggy-back the user’s access to the second website.
This could allow the attacker to access any information the user shared with
the second web site.
- A vulnerability that occurs because under certain circumstances Internet
Explorer does not correctly check the component that the OBJECT tag calls.
This could allow an attacker to obtain the name of the Temporary Internet
Files folder on the user’s local machine. The vulnerability would not allow
an attacker to read or modify any files on the user’s local system, since the
Temporary Internet Files folder resides in the Internet security zone.
Knowledge of the name of the Temporary Internet Files folder could allow an
attacker to identify the username of the logged-on user and read other
information in the Temporary Internet Files folder such as cookies.
- Three vulnerabilities that although having differing root causes, have the
same net effects. All three vulnerabilities result because of incomplete
security checks being carried out when using particular programming techniques
in web pages, and would have the effect of allowing one website to access
information in another domain, including the user’s local system. This could
enable the web site operator to read, but not change, any file on the user’s
local computer that could be viewed in a browser window. In addition, this
could also enable an attacker to invoke an executable that was already present
on the local system.
In addition, the patch sets the Kill Bit on a legacy DirectX ActiveX control
which has been retired but which has a security vulnerability. This has been
done to ensure that the vulnerable control cannot be reintroduced onto users’
systems and ensures that users who already have the control on their system
are protected. This is discussed further in Microsoft Knowledge Base
Article 810202.
The patch also makes a further refinement to cross domain verification check
that was first introduced in Internet Explorer Service Pack 1. This is
discussed further in the Frequently Asked Questions below.
Mitigating factors:
With the exception of the Malformed PNG Image File Failure, there are common
mitigating factors across all of the vulnerabilities:
- The attacker would have to host a web site that contained a web page used
to exploit the particular vulnerability.
- The attacker would have no way to force users to visit the site. Instead,
the attacker would need to lure them there, typically by getting them to
click on a link that would take them to the attacker's site.
- By default, Outlook Express 6.0 and Outlook 2002 open HTML mails in the
Restricted Sites Zone. In addition, Outlook 98 and 2000 open HTML mails in
the Restricted Sites Zone if the Outlook Email Security Update has been
installed. Customers who use any of these products would be at no risk from
an e-mail borne attack that attempted to exploit these vulnerabilities.
In addition to there are a number of individual mitigating factors:
Malformed PNG Image File Failure
- Internet Explorer and other affected applications such as Microsoft Office
and Microsoft Index Server could be successfully restarted after the failure.
- Microsoft has not identified a method by which this buffer overrun can be
used to execute code of the attacker’s choice on the user’s system.
- This vulnerability is not present in Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1.
Encoded Characters Information Disclosure
- The vulnerability would not enable an attacker to read, modify or execute
any files on the local system.
Temporary Internet Files folder Name Reading
- An attacker could not use this vulnerability to read, delete or modify any
files on the user’s local system other than information contained in the
Temporary Internet Files folder.
- An attacker could only exploit this vulnerability by having a user visit a
malicious web site and then follow a malformed link on this malicious web
site to a second web site that the user trusted.
- This vulnerability is not present in Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1.
Frames Cross Site Scripting, Cross Domain Verification via Cached Methods &
Improper Cross Domain Security Validation with Frames
- The vulnerabilities would only allow an attacker to read files on the user’s
local system that can be rendered in a browser window, such as image files,
HTML files and text files.
- The vulnerabilities would not provide any way for an attacker to put a
program of their choice onto another user’s system.
- An attacker would need to know the name and location of any file on the
system to successfully invoke it.
- The vulnerabilities could only be used to view or invoke local executables.
It could not be used to create, delete, or modify arbitrary or malicious files.
Severity Rating:
Internet Internet Internet Internet
Explorer 5.01 Explorer 5.5 Explorer 6.0 Explorer 6.0
Gold SP1
Malformed PNG Important Important Important None
Image File
Failure
Encoded Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate
Characters
Information
Disclosure
Frames Cross Important Important Important Important
Site Scripting
Temporary Low Low Low None
Internet Files
folders Name
Reading
Cross Domain None Important Important Important
Verification via
Cached Methods
Improper Cross None Important Important None
Domain Security
Validation with
Frames
Aggregate Important Important Important Important
Severity of
all issues
included in
this patch
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 identifiers:
Malformed PNG Image File Failure: CVE-CAN-2002-1185
Encoded Characters Information Disclosure: CVE-CAN-2002-1186
Frames Cross Site Scripting: CVE-CAN-2002-1187
Temporary Internet Files folder Name Reading: CVE-CAN-2002-1188
Cross Domain Verification via Cached Methods: CVE-CAN-2002-1254
Improper Cross Domain Security Validation with Frames: CVE-CAN-2002-1217
Tested Versions:
Internet Explorer versions 5.01 SP3, 5.5 SP2, 6.0 Gold and 6.0 SP1 were
tested for these vulnerabilities. Versions of IE prior to 5.01 Service
Pack 3 are no longer eligible for hotfix support. IE 5.01 SP3 is supported
only on Windows® 2000. More information on Windows Operating System
Components Lifecycles is available from:
http://microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/desktop/consumer/components.mspx
Patch availability
Download locations for this patch
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/q328970/default.asp
Additional information about this patch
Installation platforms:
- The IE 5.01 patch can be applied to Windows 2000 Systems with Service Pack 3
running IE 5.01
- The IE 5.5 patch can be installed on systems running Service Pack 2.
- The IE 6.0 patch can be installed on system running IE 6.0 Gold or IE 6.0
Service Pack 1.
Inclusion in future service packs:
- The fixes for the issues affecting Internet Explorer 6.0 will be included
in Internet Explorer 6.0 Service Pack 2.
- The fixes for the issues affecting Internet Explorer 5.01 Service Pack 2
and Service Pack 3 will be included in Windows 2000 Service Pack 4.
Reboot needed: Yes
Patch can be uninstalled: No
Superseded patches: This patch supersedes the one provided in Microsoft
Security Bulletin MS02-047, which is itself a cumulative patch.
Verifying patch installation:
- To verify that the patch has been installed on the machine, open IE,
select Help, then select About Internet Explorer and confirm that Q328970
is listed in the Update Versions field.
- To verify the individual files, use the patch manifest provided in
Knowledge Base article Q328970.
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 eEye Digital Security for reporting the malformed PNG
issue to us and working with us to protect customers.
Support:
Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q328970 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 (November 20, 2002): Bulletin Created.
[***** End Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-066 *****]
_______________________________________________________________________________
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
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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
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