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The U.S. Department of Energy
Computer Incident Advisory Center
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INFORMATION BULLETIN
Microsoft Unchecked Buffer in Windows Shell
[Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-014]
March 12, 2002 18:00 GMT Number M-055
______________________________________________________________________________
PROBLEM: An unchecked buffer exists in one of the functions that helps
to locate incompletely removed applications on the system.
PLATFORM: Microsoft Windows 98
Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition
Microsoft Windows 2000
DAMAGE: A successful attack would have the affect of either causing the
Windows Shell to crash, or causing code to run with the user's
permissions.
SOLUTION: Apply the patch provided by vendor.
______________________________________________________________________________
VULNERABILITY The risk is LOW. The exploit of this vulnerability would allow
ASSESSMENT: the code to run in the security context of the user rather than
the system.
______________________________________________________________________________
LINKS:
CIAC BULLETIN: http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/m-055.shtml
ORIGINAL BULLETIN:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS02-014.asp
PATCHES: Windows 98
http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/Release.asp?ReleaseID=37015
Windows NT 4.0
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=36867
Windows NT 4.0 with Active Desktop
http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/Release.asp?ReleaseID=37015
Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=36869
Windows NT 2000
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=36880
______________________________________________________________________________
[***** Start Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-014 *****]
Unchecked Buffer in Windows Shell Could Lead to Code Execution
Originally posted: March 07, 2002
Summary
Who should read this bulletin: Users of Microsoft® Windows® 98, 98SE,
Windows NT® 4.0, Windows 2000
Impact of vulnerability: Run code of an attacker's choice
Maximum Severity Rating: Moderate
Recommendation: Customers should apply the patch
Affected Software:
- Microsoft Windows 98
- Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
- Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
- Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition
- Microsoft Windows 2000
Technical description:
The Windows Shell is responsible for providing the basic framework
of the Windows user interface experience. It is most familiar to
users as the Windows Desktop, but also provides a variety of other
functions to help define the user's computing session, including
organizing files and folders, and providing the means to start
applications.
An unchecked buffer exists in one of the functions that helps to
locate incompletely removed applications on the system. A security
vulnerability results because it is possible for a malicious user
to mount a buffer overrun attack and attempt to exploit this flaw.
A successful attack would have the affect of either causing the
Windows Shell to crash, or causing code to run in the user's
context.
By default, this is not remotely exploitable. However, under
very unusual conditions, it could be exploited via a web page.
Specifically, if the user has installed, then uninstalled an
application with custom URL handlers, and the application's
uninstall routine failed to correctly remove the application
completely, an attacker could attempt to mount an attack by
constructing an HTML web page that seeks to overrun the buffer.
Such a web page could be delivered either by posting it on a web
site or sending it by email.
Mitigating factors:
- In a default installation, this vulnerability is not remotely
exploitable and could only be exploited by introducing hostile
code to the system.
- The vulnerability could be remotely exploited only if the user
has installed and uninstalled software which implements customer
URL handlers and the software's uninstall routine failed to
completely remove the application from the system.
- Outlook 98 and 2000 (after installing the Outlook Email Security
Update), Outlook 2002, and Outlook Express 6 all open HTML mail in
the Restricted Sites Zone. As a result, customers using these
products would not be at risk from email-borne attacks.
- The buffer overrun would allow code to run in the security
context of the user rather than the system. The specific privileges
the attacker could gain through this vulnerability would therefore
depend on the privileges accorded to the user.
Vulnerability identifier: CAN-2001-0070
Patch availability
Download locations for this patch
Windows 98
http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/Release.asp?ReleaseID=37015
Windows NT 4.0
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=36867
Windows NT 4.0 with Active Desktop
http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/Release.asp?ReleaseID=37015
Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=36869
Windows NT 2000
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=36880
Additional information about this patch
Installation platforms:
The Windows 98 patch can be installed on system running
Windows 98 and Windows 98SE.
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 TSE Service Pack 6.
The Windows 2000 patch can be installed on systems running
Windows 2000 Service Pack 2.
Inclusion in future service packs:
The fix for this issue will be included in Windows 2000 Service
Pack 3
Reboot needed: Yes
Superseded patches: None.
Verifying patch installation:
Windows 98 and 98 SE:
To verify that the patch has been installed on the machine, select
Start, then Run, then run the QFECheck utility. If the patch is
installed, "Windows 98 Q313829 Update" will be listed among the
installed patches. To verify the individual files, use the file
manifest provided in Knowledge Base article Q313829.
Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6a:
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\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Hotfix\Q313829
To verify the individual files, consult the file manifest in
Knowledge Base article Q313829
Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6a with Active Desktop:
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\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Hotfix\Q313829.
To verify the individual files, consult the file manifest in
Knowledge Base article Q313829
Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 6:
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\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Hotfix\Q313829.
To verify the individual files, consult the file manifest in
Knowledge Base article Q313829
Windows 2000 Service Pack 2:
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\SP3\Q313829.
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\SP3\Q313829\Filelist
Caveats:
None
Localization:
Localized versions of this patch are currently available at the
locations listed above 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. All patches available via
WindowsUpdate also are available in a redistributable form from
the WindowsUpdate Corporate site.
Other information:
Acknowledgments
Microsoft thanks eEye Digital Security (http://www.eeye.com) for
reporting this issue to us and working with us to protect customers.
Support:
Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q313829 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 (March 07, 2002): Bulletin Created.
[***** End Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-014 *****]
_______________________________________________________________________________
CIAC wishes to acknowledge the contributions of Microsoft Corporation
for the information contained in this bulletin.
_______________________________________________________________________________
CIAC, the Computer Incident Advisory Center, 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
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among computer security teams worldwide.
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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
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