Alert: Microsoft Security Bulletin - MS02-058
From: Russ (Russ.Cooper@RC.ON.CA)Date: 10/10/02
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Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 16:35:46 -0400 From: Russ <Russ.Cooper@RC.ON.CA> To: NTBUGTRAQ@LISTSERV.NTBUGTRAQ.COM
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS02-058.asp
Unchecked Buffer in Outlook Express S/MIME Parsing Could Enable System Compromise (Q328676)
Originally posted: October 10, 2002
Summary
Who should read this bulletin: Customers using Microsoft® Outlook Express
Impact of vulnerability: Run code of attackers choice.
Maximum Severity Rating: Critical
Recommendation: Customers using Outlook Express should apply the patch
Affected Software:
- Microsoft Outlook Express 6.0
- Microsoft Outlook Express 5.5 Note: Microsoft Outlook is a different product than Microsoft Outlook Express, and is not affected by the vulnerability.
Technical description:
To allow for verification of the authenticity of mail messages, Microsoft Outlook Express supports digital signing of messages through S/MIME. A buffer overrun vulnerability lies in the code that generates the warning message when a particular error condition associated with digital signatures occurs.
By creating a digitally signed email and editing it to introduce specific data, then sending it to another user, an attacker could cause either of two effects to occur if the recipient opened or previewed it. In the less serious case, the attacker could cause the mail client to fail. If this happened, the recipient could resume normal operation by restarting the mail client and deleting the offending mail. In the more serious case, the attacker could cause the mail client to run code of their choice on the user's machine. Such code could take any desired action, limited only by the permissions of the recipient on the machine.
This vulnerability could only affect messages that are signed using S/MIME and sent to an Outlook Express user. Users of Microsoft Outlook products are not affected by this vulnerability.
Mitigating factors:
- Microsoft Outlook is not affected by this vulnerability.
- Outlook Express runs in the context of the user. Exploiting this vulnerability would in the worst case scenario allow an attacker to run arbitrary code in the context of the users' privileges only. Any restrictions on the users' account would apply to the attackers code.
Vulnerability identifier: CAN-2002-1179
This email is sent to NTBugtraq automatically as a service to my subscribers. Since its programmatically created, and since its been a long time since anyone paid actual money for my programming skills, it may or may not look that good...;-]
I can only hope that the information it does contain can be read well enough to serve its purpose.
Cheers,
Russ - Surgeon General of TruSecure Corporation/NTBugtraq Editor
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