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The U.S. Department of Energy
Computer Incident Advisory Capability
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INFORMATION BULLETIN
Vulnerability in Microsoft Agent
[Microsoft Security Bulletin (MS07-051)]
September 11, 2007 19:00 GMT Number R-340
[REVISED 18 Sept 2007]
______________________________________________________________________________
PROBLEM: A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Microsoft Agent
in the way that it handles certain specially crafted URLs.
PLATFORM: Microsoft Windows 2000 (all editions)
DAMAGE: Could allow an attacker to remotely execute code on the
affected system.
SOLUTION: Upgrade to the appropriate version.
______________________________________________________________________________
VULNERABILITY The risk is MEDIUM. Could allow an attacker to remotely execute
ASSESSMENT: code on the affected system.
______________________________________________________________________________
LINKS:
CIAC BULLETIN: http://www.ciac.org/ciac/bulletins/r-340.shtml
ORIGINAL BULLETIN: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS07-051.mspx
CVE: http://www.cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=
CVE-2007-3040
______________________________________________________________________________
REVISION HISTORY:
09/18/2007 - revised R-340 to reflect the changes Microsoft has made in MS07-051 where
they updated the FAQ as to why up-level platforms are not affected by the
vulnerability addressed by this bulletin.
[***** Start Microsoft Security Bulletin (MS07-051) *****]
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS07-051 - Critical
Vulnerability in Microsoft Agent Could Allow Remote Code Execution (938827)
Published: September 11, 2007
Version: 1.0
General Information
Executive Summary
This critical security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability. A
remote code execution vulnerability exists in Microsoft Agent in the way that
it handles certain specially crafted URLs. The vulnerability could allow an
attacker to remotely execute code on the affected system. Users whose accounts
are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted
than users who operate with administrative user rights.
This is a critical security update for Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4.
For more information, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software,
in this section.
The security update addresses the vulnerability by changing the way Microsoft
Agent handles specially crafted URLs. For more information about the
vulnerability, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) subsection for the
vulnerability entry under the next section, Vulnerability Information.
Recommendation. Microsoft recommends that customers apply the update
immediately.
Known Issues. None
Top of section
Affected and Non-Affected Software
The software listed here have been tested to determine which versions or
editions are affected. Other versions or editions are either past their support
life cycle or are not affected. To determine the support life cycle for your
software version or edition, visit Microsoft Support Lifecycle.
Affected Software
Operating System Maximum Security Impact Aggregate Severity Rating Bulletins
Replaced by This Update
Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4
Remote Code Execution
Critical
MS07-020
Non-Affected Software
Operating System
Windows XP Service Pack 2
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Service Pack 2
Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and Server 2003 Service Pack 2
Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition and Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition Service
Pack 2
Windows Server 2003 with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems and Windows Server 2003
with SP2 for Itanium-based Systems
Windows Vista
Windows Vista x64 Edition
Vulnerability Information
Severity Ratings and Vulnerability Identifiers
Affected Software Agent Remote Code Execution Vulnerability – CVE-2007-3040
Aggregate Severity Rating
Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4
Critical
Remote Code Execution
Critical
Top of section
Agent Remote Code Execution Vulnerability – CVE-2007-3040
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Microsoft Agent in the way
that it handles certain specially crafted URLs. The vulnerability could allow
an attacker to remotely execute code on the affected system. Users whose
accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less
impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.
To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities
and Exposures list, see CVE-2007-3040.
Update Information
Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance
Manage the software and security updates you need to deploy to the servers,
desktop, and mobile computers in your organization. For more information see
the TechNet Update Management Center. The Microsoft TechNet Security Web site
provides additional information about security in Microsoft products.
Security updates are available from Microsoft Update, Windows Update, and
Office Update. Security updates are also available at the Microsoft Download
Center. You can find them most easily by doing a keyword search for
"security_patch." Finally, security updates can be downloaded from the Windows
Update Catalog. For more information about the Windows Update Catalog, see
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 323166.
Detection and Deployment Guidance
Microsoft has provided detection and deployment guidance for this month’s
security updates. This guidance will also help IT professionals understand how
they can use various tools to help deploy the security update, such as Windows
Update, Microsoft Update, Office Update, the Microsoft Baseline Security
Analyzer (MBSA), the Office Detection Tool, Microsoft Systems Management Server
(SMS), the Extended Security Update Inventory Tool, and the Enterprise Update
Scan Tool (EST). For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article
910723.
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) allows administrators to scan
local and remote systems for missing security updates as well as common
security misconfigurations. For more information about MBSA visit Microsoft
Baseline Security Analyzer Web site. The following table provides the MBSA
detection summary for this security update.
Software MBSA 1.2.1 MBSA 2.0.1
Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4
Yes
Yes
For more information about MBSA, visit the MBSA Web site. For more
information about the software that Microsoft Update and MBSA 2.0 currently
do not detect, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 895660.
Windows Server Update Services
By using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), administrators can deploy
the latest critical updates and security updates for Microsoft Windows 2000
operating systems and later, Office XP and later, Exchange Server 2003, and
SQL Server 2000 to Microsoft Windows 2000 and later operating systems. For
more information about how to deploy this security update using Windows
Server Update Services, visit the Windows Server Update Services Web site.
Systems Management Server
The following table provides the SMS detection and deployment summary for
this security update.
Software SMS 2.0 SMS 2003
Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4
Yes
Yes
SMS 2.0 and SMS 2003 Software Update Services (SUS) Feature Pack can use
MBSA 1.2.1 for detection and therefore have the same limitation that is
listed earlier in this bulletin related to programs that MBSA 1.2.1 does
not detect.
For SMS 2.0, the SMS SUS Feature Pack, which includes the Security Update
Inventory Tool (SUIT), can be used by SMS to detect security updates. SMS
SUIT uses the MBSA 1.2.1 engine for detection. For more information about
SUIT, visit the following Microsoft Web site. For more information about
the limitations of SUIT, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 306460. The
SMS SUS Feature Pack also includes the Microsoft Office Inventory Tool to
detect required updates for Microsoft Office applications.
For SMS 2003, the SMS 2003 Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates (ITMU)
can be used by SMS to detect security updates that are offered by
Microsoft Update and that are supported by Windows Server Update Services.
For more information about the SMS 2003 ITMU, visit the following Microsoft
Web site. SMS 2003 can also use the Microsoft Office Inventory Tool to
detect required updates for Microsoft Office applications.
For more information about SMS, visit the SMS Web site.
Security Update Deployment
Affected Software
For information about the specific security update for your affected
software, click the appropriate link:
* Microsoft Windows 2000 (all editions)
Other Information
Acknowledgments
Microsoft thanks the following for working with us to help protect
customers:
• The Vulnerability Research team of Assurent Secure Technologies for
reporting the Agent Remote Code Execution Vulnerability – CVE-2007-3040
• Yamata Li of Palo Alto Networks for reporting the Agent Remote Code
Execution Vulnerability – CVE-2007-3040
• An anonymous researcher working with VeriSign iDefense VCP for reporting
the Agent Remote Code Execution Vulnerability – CVE-2007-3040
Top of section
Support
• Customers in the U.S. and Canada can receive technical support from
Microsoft Product Support Services at 1-866-PCSAFETY. There is no charge
for support calls that are associated with security updates.
• International customers can receive support from their local Microsoft
subsidiaries. There is no charge for support that is associated with
security updates. For more information about how to contact Microsoft
for support issues, visit the International Support Web site.
Top of section
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.
Top of section
Revisions
• V1.0 (August 14, 2007): Bulletin published.
[***** End Microsoft Security Bulletin (MS07-051) *****]
_______________________________________________________________________________
CIAC wishes to acknowledge the contributions of Microsoft 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
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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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