March 08, 2011
Microsoft Security Bulletin: March 8
Advisory Overview

March 8, 2011 - Qualys® Vulnerability R&D Lab has released new vulnerability checks in QualysGuard® to protect organizations against 3 vulnerabilities present in Microsoft Windows that were announced today. Customers can immediately audit their networks for these and other new vulnerabilities by accessing their QualysGuard subscription.

Vulnerability Details

Microsoft has released 3 security patches to fix newly discovered flaws in Microsoft products.

Qualys has released the following checks for these new vulnerabilities:


Microsoft Windows Media Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (MS11-015)
SEVERITY: Critical Critical-4 4
QUALYS ID: 90690
VENDOR REFERENCE: MS11-015
CVE REFERENCE: CVE-2011-0032 | CVE-2011-0042
CVSS SCORES: Base 6.8/ Temporal 5.3
THREAT: A remote code execution vulnerability is caused when Microsoft DirectShow incorrectly restricts the path used for loading external libraries.

A remote code execution vulnerability is caused when Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center do not properly parse specially crafted .dvr-ms media files.

Microsoft has released a security update that addresses these vulnerabilities by modifying the way library files and Windows media files are opened.

This security update is rated Critical for affected editions of Windows XP (including Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005); all supported editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7; and Windows Media Center TV Pack for Windows Vista. This security update is also rated Important for all supported editions of Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based systems.

IMPACT: These vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user opens a specially crafted Microsoft Digital Video Recording (.dvr-ms) file.
SOLUTION: Patch:
Following are links for downloading patches to fix the vulnerabilities:

Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Service Pack 3

Windows XP Service Pack 3

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 2

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows Vista Service Pack 2

Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 1 and Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 2

Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems and Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1

Windows 7 for x64-based Systems and Windows 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1

Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems and Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1

Windows Media Center TV Pack for Windows Vista (32-bit editions

Windows Media Center TV Pack for Windows Vista (64-bit editions

Refer to Microsoft Security Bulletin MS11-015 for further details.

Workarounds:
1) Disable loading of libraries from WebDAV and remote network shares. Refer to Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 2264107 to use the automated Microsoft Fix it solution.

2) Disable the WebClient service

Impact of workaround #2: When the WebClient service is disabled, Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) requests are not transmitted. In addition, any services that explicitly depend on the Web Client service will not start, and an error message will be logged in the System log.

3) Block TCP ports 139 and 445 at the firewall

Impact of workaround #3: Several Windows services use the affected ports. Blocking connectivity to the ports may cause various applications or services to not function.

4) Restrict access to the Stream Buffer Engine (SBE.dll)

Impact of workaround #4: Play back of .dvr-ms files generated by the Stream Buffer Engine is disabled.

Refer to the advisory to obtain additional information on applying the workarounds.


Microsoft Office Groove Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (MS11-016)
SEVERITY: Critical Critical-4 4
QUALYS ID: 110145
VENDOR REFERENCE: MS11-016
CVE REFERENCE: CVE-2010-3146
CVSS SCORES: Base 9.3/ Temporal 7.3
THREAT: Groove 2007 is a collaboration software program teams can use to share information.

A remote code execution vulnerability exists when Microsoft Groove 2007 incorrectly restricts the path used for loading external libraries.

Microsoft has released an update that addresses this vulnerability by correcting the manner in which Microsoft Groove 2007 loads external libraries.

This security update is rated Important for Microsoft Groove 2007 Service Pack 2.

IMPACT: An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.
SOLUTION: Patch:
Following are links for downloading patches to fix the vulnerabilities:

Microsoft Groove 2007 Service Pack 2

Refer to Microsoft Security Bulletin MS11-016 for further details.

Workarounds:
1) Disable loading of libraries from WebDAV and remote network shares. Refer to Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 2264107 to use the automated Microsoft Fix it solution.

2) Disable the WebClient service

Impact of workaround #2: When the WebClient service is disabled, Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) requests are not transmitted. In addition, any services that explicitly depend on the Web Client service will not start, and an error message will be logged in the System log.

3) Block TCP ports 139 and 445 at the firewall

Impact of workaround #3: Several Windows services use the affected ports. Blocking connectivity to the ports may cause various applications or services to not function.

Refer to the advisory to obtain additional information on applying the workarounds.


Microsoft Windows Remote Desktop Client Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (MS11-017)
SEVERITY: Critical Critical-4 4
QUALYS ID: 90689
VENDOR REFERENCE: MS11-017
CVE REFERENCE: CVE-2011-0029
CVSS SCORES: Base 9.3/ Temporal 7.3
THREAT: The Remote Desktop feature in Windows enables access to all of the programs, resources, and accessories on a user's computer from a second Windows-based computer.

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way that Windows Remote Desktop Client handles the loading of DLL files. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system.

Microsoft has released a security update that addresses the vulnerability by correcting the manner in which the Windows Remote Desktop Client loads external libraries.

This security update is rated Important for Remote Desktop Connection 5.2 Client, Remote Desktop Connection 6.0 Client, Remote Desktop Connection 6.1 Client, and Remote Desktop Connection 7.0 Client.

IMPACT: Successfully exploiting this vulnerability might allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code.
SOLUTION: Patch:
Following are links for downloading patches to fix the vulnerabilities:

Windows XP Service Pack 3 (Remote Desktop Connection 5.2 Client)

Windows XP Service Pack 3 (Remote Desktop Connection 6.1 Client)

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 2 (Remote Desktop Connection 6.0 Client)

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (Remote Desktop Connection 6.0 Client)

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (Remote Desktop Connection 6.0 Client Multilingual User Interface (MUI))

Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition Service Pack 2 (Remote Desktop Connection 6.0 Client)

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (Remote Desktop Connection 6.1 Client)

Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 1 and Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 2 (Remote Desktop Connection 6.1 Client)

Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems and Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 (Remote Desktop Connection 6.1 Client)

Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems and Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 (Remote Desktop Connection 6.1 Client)

Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems and Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems Service Pack 2 (Remote Desktop Connection 6.1 Client)

Windows XP Service Pack 3 (Remote Desktop Connection 7.0 Client)

For a complete list of patch download links, please refer to Microsoft Security Bulletin MS11-017.

Workarounds:
1) Disable loading of libraries from WebDAV and remote network shares. Refer to Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 2264107 to use the automated Microsoft Fix it solution.

2) Disable the WebClient service

Impact of workaround #2: When the WebClient service is disabled, Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) requests are not transmitted. In addition, any services that explicitly depend on the Web Client service will not start, and an error message will be logged in the System log.

3) Block TCP ports 139 and 445 at the firewall

Impact of workaround #3: Several Windows services use the affected ports. Blocking connectivity to the ports may cause various applications or services to not function.

Refer to the advisory to obtain additional information on applying the workarounds.

This new vulnerability check is included in Qualys vulnerability signatures v1.28.44-3. Each QualysGuard account is automatically updated with the latest vulnerability signatures as they become available. To view the vulnerability signature version in your account, from the QualysGuard HOME menu, select the Account Info tab.

SELECTIVE SCAN INSTRUCTIONS USING QUALYSGUARD:

To perform a selective vulnerability scan, configure a scan profile to use the following options:

  1. Ensure access to TCP ports 135 and 139 are available.
  2. Enable Windows Authentication (specify Authentication Records).
  3. Enable the following Qualys IDs:
    • 90690
    • 110145
    • 90689
  4. If you would like the scan to return the Windows Hostname, also include QID 82044 and ensure access to UDP port 137 is available.
  5. If you would like to be notified if QualysGuard is unable to logon to a host (if Authentication fails), also include QID 105015.

In addition, prior to running a scan for these new vulnerabilities, you can estimate your exposure to these new threats by running the Risk Matrix Report, available from the QualysGuard HOME page.


Technical Support
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About QualysGuard
QualysGuard is an on-demand security audit service delivered over the web that enables organizations to effectively manage their vulnerabilities and maintain control over their network security with centralized reports, verified remedies, and full remediation workflow capabilities with trouble tickets. QualysGuard provides comprehensive reports on vulnerabilities including severity levels, time to fix estimates and impact on business, plus trend analysis on security issues. By continuously and proactively monitoring all network access points, QualysGuard dramatically reduces security managers' time researching, scanning and fixing network exposures and enables companies to eliminate network vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.

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