Fwd: QuickTime for Windows ActiveX security advisory

From: Marc Bejarano (beejat_private)
Date: Wed Sep 25 2002 - 11:49:03 PDT

  • Next message: Ka: "Re: Information Disclosure with Invision Board installation (fwd)"

    looks like you can now just update just the ActiveX control (as long as you 
    have quicktime 3 or newer) instead of upgrading to quicktime 6.
    
    marc
    =====
    Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 09:59:46 -0700
    Subject: QuickTime for Windows ActiveX security advisory
    From: Ron Dumont <rondat_private>
    To: security-announceat_private
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    -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
    
    Apple Security Advisory APPLE-SA-2002-09-19
    
    Overview
    
    A buffer overflow exists in the ActiveX control distributed in Apple
    QuickTime for Windows Version 5.0.2.  Any user who opens this control in
    Microsoft Windows Internet Explorer or other affected Windows mail
    clients is vulnerable to attack.
    
    QuickTime versions for Mac OS X or Mac OS 9 are not vulnerable.
    
    
    Recommendation
    
    Users and web site administrators running the Windows operating system
    should upgrade to the new version of the ActiveX control as soon as
    possible.  This can be done by either downloading a new ActiveX control,
    or updating to QuickTime 6 which contains a fixed version of the ActiveX
    control.
    
        ActiveX control only:
    http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/qtcheck/
        This control will work with QuickTime version 3.0 and later.
    
        QuickTime 6 (free update):  http://www.apple.com/QuickTime/download/
    
    
    Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) Information:
    
    The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) project has assigned the
    following identification to this issue.  These are candidates for
    inclusion in the CVE list (http://cve.mitre.org), which standardizes
    names for security problems.
    
       CAN-2002-0376 Apple QuickTime ActiveX v5.0.2 Buffer Overrun
    
    
    Description
    
    QuickTime for Windows version 5.0.2 is distributed with an ActiveX
    control to allow QuickTime movies to be played on versions on Microsoft
    Windows Internet Explorer.  The ActiveX control for QuickTime for
    Windows 5.0.2 has a buffer overflow vulnerability triggered by
    insufficient input validation when parsing the "pluginspage" parameter.
    
    This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote attacker who can induce
    a victim to visit any web site with malicious code offering the
    vulnerable code or executing a control already present on the victim's
    computer.  Also affected are users who open HTML messages in Windows
    mail clients that use Internet Explorer to render HTML and load ActiveX
    controls (e.g., Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, etc).  Note that an
    email attack would be rendered harmless if the end user email client
    handled HTML mail in Internet Explorer's Restricted Sites Zone (say by
    having applied the Outlook Email Security Update distributed by
    Microsoft; Outlook Express 6 and Outlook 2002 handle mail in the
    Restricted Site Zone by default).  Mail clients unable to render HTML or
    that do not invoke Internet Explorer are unaffected.
    
    All web content managers who support QuickTime technology and all
    Windows users of Microsoft Internet Explorer are encouraged to upgrade
    to the new ActiveX control or QuickTime Version 6.0 as soon as possible.
    
    
    Solution
    
    Either download the new ActiveX control by itself, or update to
    QuickTime 6:
    
        ActiveX control only:
    http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/qtcheck/
        This control will work with QuickTime version 3.0 and later.
    
        QuickTime 6 (free update):  http://www.apple.com/QuickTime/download/
    
    
    Mitigating factors
    
    * In the case of the web-based attack, an attacker would need to force a
    user to visit the attackers Web site. Users who exercise caution in
    visiting web sites could minimize their risk.
    
    * In the web based attack, If ActiveX controls have been disabled in the
    zone in which the page were viewed, the vulnerability could not be
    exploited. Users who place untrusted sites in the Restricted Sites zone,
    which disables ActiveX by default, or have disabled ActiveX controls in
    the Internet zone could minimize their risk.
    
    * In the case of HTML email based attacks, customers who read email in
    the Restricted Sites zone would be protected against attempts to exploit
    this vulnerability. Customers using Outlook 2002 and Outlook Express
    6.0, as well as Outlook 2000 and Outlook 98 customers who have applied
    the Outlook Email Security Update would thus be protected by default.
    Also, Outlook Express 5.0 customers who have chosen to read mail in the
    Restricted Sites zone would be protected by default.
    
    * In the HTML email based attack, Outlook 2002 customers who have
    enabled the "Read as Plain Text" option available in SP1 or later would
    also be protected.
    
    
    Further information
    
    Are there any caveats associated with the patch?
    
    Yes. Customers should be aware that although the vulnerabilities here
    involve an ActiveX control, the patch does not set the Kill Bit.
    
    Whats an ActiveX control?
    
    ActiveX controls are small, single-purpose programs that can be called
    by programs and web pages. ActiveX allows a programmer to write a piece
    of software one time, and make its functionality available to other
    programs that may need it.
    
    Whats the "Kill Bit"?
    
    The Kill Bit is a method by which an ActiveX control can be prevented
    from ever being invoked via Internet Explorer, even if its present on
    the system. (More information on the Kill Bit is available in Microsoft
    Knowledge Base article Q240797). Typically, when a security
    vulnerability involves an ActiveX control, the patch delivers a new
    control and sets the Kill Bit on the vulnerable control. However, it
    isnt feasible to do so in this case.
    
    Why isnt it feasible to set the Kill Bit in this case?
    
    The Kill bit is currently implemented in Windows as an "all or nothing"
    switch.  Setting the Kill bit will totally disable your ability to use
    QuickTime in media which invokes it via the ActiveX control.  This
    includes millions of web pages, along with many CDs and DVDs.  By
    design, the Web pages, CDs and DVDs contain hard-coded references to the
    ActiveX control to load QuickTime.  The QuickTime content on these web
    pages, CDs and DVDs would no longer be accessible.  As a result, a new
    ActiveX control is provided to remove the vulnerabilities, but the Kill
    Bit is not set on the old one.
    
    Will the Kill Bit on this control be eventually set?
    
    Yes. Microsoft is developing a new technology that will enable it to set
    the Kill Bit on the vulnerable version of the control without forcing
    users to re-author web pages containing references to these controls.
    When the new technology is available, we'll provide a QuickTime update
    that makes use of it.
    
    
    References
    
        http://www.apple.com/QuickTime/download/
        http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/qtcheck/
        http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CAN-2002-0376
    
    http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q240797
        http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q154850&FR=1
    
    
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