Windows Media Player executes WMF content in .MP3 files.

From: David Korn (dkornat_private)
Date: Fri Feb 22 2002 - 06:10:31 PST

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      I don't know if this is a known vulnerability or not, but it just
    happened to a usenet acquaintance of mine:
    
    [ From Message-ID: <MPG.16d20065551d97599897f5at_private>,
    available at http://howardk.moonfall.com/msgid.cgi?ID=101419648800 ]
    
    ---begin quote---
    My ex sent me an mp3 she'd dloaded on Gnotella:
    
    "lifehouse - hanging by a moment - rare version.mp3"
     
    When this file is opened [only works with MS Media player] a *porno* vid 
    starts playing, and triggers a MASSIVE amount of pop-up ads. I don't use 
    media player as my default, has this been going on all the time? and if 
    so does anyone know how they do it?
    ---end quote---
    
      Inspection of the file in a hex editor revealed:
    
    [ From Message-ID: <Jgua8.2390$5o.1006831at_private-net.net>,
    available at http://howardk.moonfall.com/msgid.cgi?ID=101419654600 ]
    
    ---begin quote---
    Hmm.  Here's the file beginning, in hex:
    
    0000: 30 26 b2 75 8e 66 cf 11......
    
      Now, according to http://home.swipnet.se/grd/mp3info/mp3doc.html,
    
    mp3 frame headers begin with 12 1 bits, so there should be a FF byte
    followed by a byte beginning with E or F, so that's not an mp3 frame header.
    The first mp3 frame header appears to start at offset 0x0829 where there's
    an FF F7 sequence...
    
      Nor is it a vbr header, nor an ID3 tag, since it doesn't have any readable
    ascii words there.
    
      However, looked at as unicode, I see a lot of stuff like.....
    
    GirlsOntheStreetThisIsRealAskedToHaveSexForMone
    WMFSDKVersion 8.00.00.4477
    WMFSDKNeeded 0.0.0.0000
    URL     http://www.entirelynude.com/bangbus.htm
    
      So I think we have our answer.  It's a .wmf file with a fake extension,
    and stupid old windoze goes and opens it as the type detected from the
    contents rather than the type detected from the extension.  This is the same
    kind of vulnerability that lets a webserver send an .exe to your browser
    with a .wav file-extension in the mime headers and have it auto-run, and
    represents a new potential for social-engineering of windoze users.
    
    ---end quote---
    
      The file did indeed have a .mp3 extension; no double-extension trick
    was used.
    
      The WMP version in question is 8.00.00.4477; I haven't tried it myself
    to see if it works nor tested older versions.  I thought this might be
    a reasonable place to ask if this problem is already widely known ?
    
    
         DaveK
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