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The U.S. Department of Energy
Computer Incident Advisory Capability
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INFORMATION BULLETIN
Microsoft File Decompression Functions Vulnerabilities
[Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-054]
October 3, 2002 18:00 GMT Number N-001
______________________________________________________________________________
PROBLEM: An unchecked buffer exists in the programs that handle the
decompressing of files from a zipped file. The decompression
function could place a file in a directory that was not the
same as, or child of, the target directory specified by the
user.
PLATFORM: Microsoft Windows 98 with Plus! Pack Microsoft Windows ME
Microsoft Windows XP
DAMAGE: Attempts to open a file with a specially malformed filename
contained in a zipped file could allow code of an attacker's
choice to be run. Attackers could place files in locations of
his/her choice such as in a startup directory.
SOLUTION: Apply available patches.
______________________________________________________________________________
VULNERABILITY The risk is LOW. The most serious vulnerability could allow an
ASSESSMENT: attacker to potentially run code of his/her choice. The
vulnerabilities could not be exploited without user
intervention. The attacker would need to entice the user to
receive, store, and open the zipped file provided by the
attacker.
______________________________________________________________________________
LINKS:
CIAC BULLETIN: http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/n-001.shtml
ORIGINAL BULLETIN:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=
/technet/security/bulletin/MS02-054.asp
PATCHES: - Windows 98 with Plus! Pack:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/downloads/contents/
WUCritical/q329048/default.asp
- Windows ME:
Only available via http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
- Windows XP:
http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/Release.asp?
ReleaseID=43419
______________________________________________________________________________
[***** Start Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-054 *****]
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-054
Unchecked Buffer in File Decompression Functions Could Lead to Code Execution
(Q329048)
Originally posted: October 02, 2002
Summary
Who should read this bulletin: Customers using Microsoft® Windows® 98 with Plus!
Pack, Windows Me, or Windows XP
Impact of vulnerability: Two vulnerabilities, the most serious of which could
run code of attacker’s choice
Maximum Severity Rating: Moderate
Recommendation: Consider applying the patch to affected systems
Affected Software:
Microsoft Windows 98 with Plus! Pack
Microsoft Windows Me
Microsoft Windows XP
Technical details
Technical description:
Zipped files (files having a .zip extension) provide a means to store
information in a way that uses less space on a hard disk. This is accomplished
by compressing the files that are put into in the zipped file. On Windows 98
with Plus! Pack, Windows Me and Windows XP, the Compressed Folders feature
allows zipped files to be treated as folders. The Compressed Folders feature
can be used to create, add files to, and extract files from zipped files.
Two vulnerabilities exist in the Compressed Folders function:
An unchecked buffer exists in the programs that handles the decompressing of
files from a zipped file. A security vulnerability results because attempts
to open a file with a specially malformed filename contained in a zipped file
could possibly result in Windows Explorer failing, or in code of the attacker’s
choice being run.
The decompression function could place a file in a directory that was not the
same as, or a child of, the target directory specified by the user as where
the decompressed zip files should be placed. This could allow an attacker to
put a file in a known location on the users system, such as placing a program
in a startup directory
Mitigating factors:
The vulnerabilities could not be exploited without user intervention. The
attacker would need to entice the user to receive, store, and open the zipped
file provided by the attacker.
The vulnerabilities could not be exploited remotely. An attacker would need to
lure a user into receiving the zipped file onto the user’s machine. Best practices
suggest users not accept e-mail attachments from people who are not trusted, and
not to download files from untrusted Internet sites.
On Windows 98 and Windows Me, the Compressed Folders feature is not installed
by default. Users who had not installed this feature would not be vulnerable.
Severity Rating:
Unchecked Buffer in Zipped File Handling
Internet Servers Intranet Servers Client Systems
Microsoft Windows 98 with Low Low Moderate
PLUS! Pack
Microsoft Windows Me Low Low Moderate
Microsoft Windows XP Low Low Moderate
Incorrect Target Path for Zipped File Decompression
Internet Servers Intranet Servers Client Systems
Microsoft Windows 98 with Low Low Moderate
PLUS! Pack
Microsoft Windows Me Low Low Moderate
Microsoft Windows XP Low Low 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. For this vulnerability
to be exploited, a user would have to receive a zipped file from an attacker,
store it locally, and attempt to decompress the zipped file.
Vulnerability identifiers:
Unchecked Buffer in Zipped File Handling: CAN-2002-0370
Incorrect Target Path for Zipped File Decompression: CAN-2002-1139
Tested Versions:
Microsoft tested Microsoft Windows XP, Windows ME, and Windows 98 with Plus!
Pack to assess whether they are affected by this vulnerability. Microsoft
Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 do not have the affected feature. Previous
versions are no longer supported, and may or may not be affected by these
vulnerabilities.
Patch availability
Download locations for this patch
Windows 98 with Plus! Pack:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/downloads/contents/WUCritical/q329048/
default.asp
Windows Me:
Only available via Windows Update.
Windows XP:
http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/Release.asp?ReleaseID=43419
Additional information about this patch
Installation platforms:
This patch can be installed on systems running Windows 98 or Windows 98
Second Edition.
This patch can be installed on systems running Windows Millennium Edition.
This patch can be installed on systems running Windows XP Gold and Windows XP
Service Pack 1.
Inclusion in future service packs:
The fix for these issues will be included in Windows XP Service Pack 2.
The fix for Unchecked Buffer in Zipped File Handling is also included in
Windows XP Service Pack 1.
Reboot needed:
Windows 98: Yes
Windows Me: Yes
Windows XP: Yes
Patch can be uninstalled:
Windows 98: Yes
Windows Me: Yes
Windows XP: Yes
Superseded patches: None.
Verifying patch installation:
Windows 98 with Plus! Pack:
To verify that the patch has been installed, perform the following steps:
Execute the QFECHECK program using Start – Run
Expand the W98 tree (click on the + next to W98)
Look for the string "Q329048" (without the quotes)
Windows Me:
To verify that the patch has been installed, perform the following steps:
Execute the QFECHECK program using Start – Run
Expand WINME tree (click on the + next to WinME)
Look for the string "Q329048" (without the quotes)
Windows XP:
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\Q329048
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\Q329048\Filelist
Caveats:
None
Localization:
Localized versions of this patch are available at the locations discussed in
"Obtaining other security patches".
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 the following people for working with us to protect customers:
Joe Testa of Rapid7, Inc. (http://www.rapid7.com/) for reporting the Unchecked
Buffer in Zipped File Handling vulnerability.
zen-parse for reporting the Incorrect Target Path for Zipped File Decompression
vulnerability.
Support:
Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q329048 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 (October 02, 2002): Bulletin Created.
[***** End Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-054 *****]
_______________________________________________________________________________
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:
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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
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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
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