Microsoft Internet Explorer Legacy Text Control Buffer Overflow (#NISR26082002)

From: NGSSoftware Insight Security Research (nisrat_private)
Date: Mon Aug 26 2002 - 04:57:59 PDT

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    NGSSoftware Insight Security Research Advisory
    
    Name:    Microsoft Internet Explorer BufferOverrun
    Systems Affected:  All versions IE
    Severity:  Critical
    Category: Indirect Remote Buffer Overrun
    Vendor URL:   http://www.mircosoft.com
    Author:   Mark Litchfield (markat_private)
    Date:   26th August 2002
    Advisory number: #NISR26082002
    
    
    Description
    ***********
    
    Microsoft® ActiveX® controls, formerly known as OLE controls or OCX
    controls, are components (or objects) you can insert into a Web page or
    other application to reuse packaged functionality someone else programmed.
    Whether you use an ActiveX control (formerly called an OLE control) or a
    Java object, Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition and Microsoft Internet
    Explorer handle it the same way.
    
    Details
    *******
    
    An unchecked buffer exists in the ActiveX control used to display specially
    formatted text.  This could be executed by encouraging an unsuspecting user
    to visit a malicious web page including the below code.
    
    <OBJECT
       classid="clsid:99B42120-6EC7-11CF-A6C7-00AA00A47DD2"
       id=lblActiveLbl
       width=250
       height=250
       align=left
       hspace=20
       vspace=0
    >
    <PARAM NAME="Angle" VALUE="90">
    <PARAM NAME="Alignment" VALUE="4">
    <PARAM NAME="BackStyle" VALUE="0">
    <PARAM NAME="Caption" VALUE="long char string">
    <PARAM NAME="FontName" VALUE="NGS Software Font">
    <PARAM NAME="FontSize" VALUE="50">
    <PARAM NAME="FontBold" VALUE="1">
    <PARAM NAME="FrColor" VALUE="0">
    </OBJECT>
    
    By supplying an overly long value for the "Caption" parameter a saved return
    address stored on the stack will be overwritten allowing an attacker to gain
    control of Internet Explorer's path of execution. Any arbitary code would
    execute in the context of the logged on user. By sending the intended targer
    a specially crafted e-mail or by enticing them to a malicious website an
    attacker will be able to gain remote control of that users desktop.
    
    Fix Information
    ***************
    
    NGSSoftware alerted Microsoft to these problems on the 29th April 2002.
    NGSSoftware highly recommend installing Microsoft Patch found at
    http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/q323759ie/default.asp
    
    Further Information
    *******************
    
    For further information about the scope and effects of buffer overflows,
    please see
    
    http://www.ngssoftware.com/papers/non-stack-bo-windows.pdf
    http://www.ngssoftware.com/papers/ntbufferoverflow.html
    http://www.ngssoftware.com/papers/bufferoverflowpaper.rtf
    http://www.ngssoftware.com/papers/unicodebo.pdf
    



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