Title: 26 June 2002 Cumulative Patch for Windows Media Player
(Q320920)
Date: 26 June 2002
Software: Windows Media Player
Impact: Three new vulnerabilities, the most serious of which
could run code of attacker's choice
Max Risk: Critical
Bulletin: MS02-032
Microsoft encourages customers to review the Security Bulletin at:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS02-032.asp.
--------------
Issue:
======
This is a cumulative patch that includes the functionality of
all previously released patches for Windows Media Player 6.4, 7.1
and Windows Media Player for Windows XP. In addition, it eliminates
the following three newly discovered vulnerabilities one of which
is rated as critical severity, one of which is rated moderate
severity, and the last of which is rated low severity:
- An information disclosure vulnerability that could provide
the means to enable an attacker to run code on the user's
system and is rated as critical severity.
- A privilege elevation vulnerability that could enable an attacker
who can physically logon locally to a Windows 2000 machine and run
a program to obtain the same rights as the operating system.
- A script execution vulnerability related that could run a script
of an attacker's choice as if the user had chosen to run it after
playing a specially formed media file and then viewing a specially
constructed web page. This particular vulnerability has specific
timing requirements that makes attempts to exploit vulnerability
difficult and is rated as low severity.
It also introduces a configuration change relating to file extensions
associated with Windows Media Player. Finally, it introduces a new,
optional, security configuration feature for users or organizations
that want to take extra precautions beyond applying IE patch MS02-023
and want to disable scripting functionality in the
Windows Media Player for versions 7.x or higher.
Mitigating Factors:
====================
Cache Patch Disclosure via Windows Media Player
- Customers who have applied MS02-023 are protected against
attempts to automatically exploit this issue through HTML email
when they read email in the Restricted Sites zone. Outlook 98 and
Outlook 2000 with the Outlook Email Security Update, Outlook 2002
and Outlook Express 6.0 all read email in the Restricted Sites
zone by default.
- The vulnerability does not affect media files opened from the
local machine. As a result of this, users who download and save
files locally are not affected by attempts to exploit this
vulnerability.
Privilege Elevation through Windows Media Device Manager Service:
- This issue affects only Windows Media Player 7.1 it does not
affect Windows Media Player for Windows XP nor Windows
Media Player 6.4.
- The vulnerability only affects Windows Media Player 7.1 when run
on Windows 2000, it does not impact systems that have no user
security model such as Windows 98 or Windows ME systems.
- This issue only affects console sessions; users who logon via
terminal sessions cannot exploit this vulnerability.
- An attacker must be able to load and run a program on the system.
Anything that prevents an attacker from loading or running a
program could protect against attempts to exploit this
vulnerability.
Media Playback Script Invocation:
- A successful attack requires a specific series of actions
follows in exact order, otherwise the attack will fail.
Specifically:
- A user must play a specially formed media file from an
attacker.
- After playing the file, the user must shut down
Windows Media Player without playing another file.
- The user must then view a web page constructed by the
attacker.
Risk Rating of new vulnerabilities:
============
- Internet systems: Low
- Intranet systems: Low
- Client systems: Critical
Aggregate Risk Rating (including issues addressed in
previously released patches):
- Internet systems: Critical
- Intranet systems: Critical
- Client systems: Critical
============
Patch Availability:
===================
- A patch is available to fix this vulnerability. Please read the
Security Bulletin at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms02-032.asp
for information on obtaining this patch.
Acknowledgment:
===============
- jelmer for reporting the Cache Patch Disclosure via Windows
Media Player.
- The Research Team of Security Internals
(www.securityinternals.com) for reporting Privilege
Elevation through Windows Media Device Manager Service:
- Elias Levy, Chief Technical Officer, SecurityFocus
(http://www.securityfocus.com/), for reporting the
Media Playback Script Invocation.
