New Zero-Day Vulnerability In Windows

Jimmy T writes "Microsoft and Secunia are warning about the discovery of a new 'Zero-day' vulnerability affecting all Microsoft based operating systems except Windows 2003. Both companies states that the vulnerability is currently being exploited by malicious websites. One attack vector is through Internet Explorer 6/7 — so be aware where you surf to."

Just curious

Seems there is always a new "zero day" exploit for Windows. Most times, the exploit can be activated simply by visiting a webpage that has been crafted to take advantage of it.

Does anyone actually know anyone that has been affected by any of these exploits? Seems to me that the odds of actually visiting a site that "runs" the exploit is incredibly low.

Darn

I've been looking at porn all night.. it is saturday you now!.... jeeze.. I better start scanning my machine now (or stop looking at porn) .... (or reload my machine).

"Trusted" Websites

For all of the shortcomings of IE, Microsoft does attempt to cover its ass to some degree. There are settings in IE which decide which goodies [javascript, (un)signed activex controls, etc.) can be run from which websites. When installing Server 2003, just about everything is out-of-bounds in the default IE. If Microsoft would advocate such tight controls by default on all Windows distributions, or even publish its own list of trusted 3rd-party sites, risks could be reduced. The malicious folks who take advantage of zero day exploits tend to be in the seedier parts of the tubes anyway.

Seriously, Is Firefox susceptible to this too?

Or is it only via IE.

What other ways can this exploit be triggered?

Re:Seriously, Is Firefox susceptible to this too?

Yes and no. This flaw is specific to XMLHTTP, which is kind of developed independantly. You also can use XMLHTTP without using IE at all, thats why I say its independant. Its probably a buffer overflow, and not much to do about it in this case. So yes IE7 has a flaw, but there really isn't anything they could do in the current context. -HOWEVER-, while IE7 is more secure than IE6 in a million ways, the WinXP version is nothing but a shadow of the real thing. The sandboxed IE7 is on Vista only, and I'm pretty damn sure this vulnerability is not an issue there. Anyway, so its more semantic here, but you could say "yes, IE7 has a vulnerability". however, its a little bit like if there was a vulnerability in KDELIB across the board...obviously that would touch Konqueror, no matter how secure Konquerer itself is... Can't excuse that one though. IE7 on XP is far, far from secure. More secure, but not secure.

Oh good...

"all Microsoft based operating systems except Windows 2003"

Glad nobody I know is vulnerable to this. Everyone is OSX, Linux, or Win2003 for a long time now.

A Web "browser" - implies "just looking"

What is so hard about the concept of a program that can go out to the Internet, look at what is there and renders it for me. WITH NO WAY TO CHANGE ANYTHING ON MY COMPUTER.

Is that so much to ask for, of ANY browser?

Your vs You're

Your screwed.

What about my screwed?

In Soviet Russia

Windows exploits you!

Hello my name is Microsoft...

and I write buggy software. I am by no means a MS basher, but the security advisory that they have put out reads like an endless stream of lame excuses.

It may very well be that stupid users or badly configured systems allow these exploits to thrive but FFS Microsoft just admit that you are actually at least partially to blame.

As long as they fail to realise that they are not gods and do actually write buggy software, what hope is there that they will ever succeed in producing something secure?

Oh No!

Someone set up us the exploit!

That's what they get

Internet Explorer 6/7
Well that's what they get for not updating and running Internet Explorer 6/7! It's not even version 1.0!

Now for some real news

You want news? Now this would be news:

REDMOND - NOV 23, 2006
Microsoft is proud to announce that for the second day in a row, now 0-day exploits were discovered in its flagship Microsoft Operating System.

Payload

Is this just a vulnerability , or is there an exploit for it in the wild. If so, what is the payload? I use a mac , so I'm not concerned for me , just the network i manage.

Oh neato

Cool, a new zero day exploit for win9x/nt

In other news, it is being reported that the sun rose this morning. Tape at eleven.

Warning warning danager danger!

The Internet is not safe if you use Windows and IE 6/7. Please Do NOT click any links [uncyclopedia.org] until these issues are fixed. If you do, you might get pwn3d [uncyclopedia.org] by 12 year-old script-kiddies or unemployed computer geeks turned hackers that still live with their mothers in the basement and are upset at the world.

Does not affect Vista

This flaw does not affect Vista users thanks to IE 7's Protected Mode [microsoft.com] feature.

Get $browser, when $browser != IE

One attack vector is through Internet Explorer 6/7

Simple cure: Get Firefox. Or Opera, for crying out loud...

What about my Windows 95 box?

"... all Microsoft based operating systems except Windows 2003."

So a box running Windows 95 or DOS is at risk then?

I'm not sure which is more irritating - that the summary uses the above phrase that is not in the article, or that they article doesn't explicitly say which OS/browser versions are affected (and you'd have to go digging around to find whether you are using "XMLHTTP 4.0 ActiveX Control, part of Microsoft XML Core Services 4.0".

I suppose the most irritating thing for a Windows user is that this is yet another security hole.

No 2003? Someone can't read.

From Secunia, the vulnerable versions are:
Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Web Edition
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Microsoft Windows XP Professional

It's C again.

Buffer overflow again? we programmers should run a petition for Microsoft to stop using C for their products :-).

On a more serious note, I am using Firefox and Thunderbird, so it is highly unlikely that I am affected by the vulnerability. Open source wins again!

Let me guess what's going to happen next.

There will be another browser vulnerability study published that compairs minor Firefox bugs with severe "allows code execution" vunerbilities in IE. This will allow IE users come to the smug conclusion that neither browser is more secure and feel good about using Microsoft products again.

Does it affect XP 64?

XP 64 is actually a non-server build of 2003 (NT 5.2), not XP (NT 5.1). I can't tell whether XP 64 is affected, because Microsoft just says this:

"Customers who are running Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 in their default configurations, with the Enhanced Security Configuration turned on, are not affected. Customers would need to visit an attacker's Web site to be at risk. We will continue to investigate these public reports."

I'm on XP 64 SP1, equivalent to 2003 SP1.

Melissa

Use psexec to protect your system from your browse

Use psexec to protect your system from your browser.
http://download.sysinternals.com/Files/PsExec.zip [sysinternals.com]

C:\utl\psexec.exe -dl "C:\Program Files\firefox\firefox.exe"
or
C:\utl\psexec.exe -dl "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe"

Aonther one?

No, really?

Tell me it isn't so.

 

Wait!

There's still people using IE instead of Firefox?!? Serves them right then, dummies! Back of the class!

What? Windows is insecure?!? Even with IE7?!?!?

And why is this news? Or is this a repost of what we've seen a hundred times before? Just once I'd like to see the headline "Windows declared safe to use for the next 24 hours".
http://lyricslist.com/lyrics/artist_albums/425/red _hot_chili_peppers.php [lyricslist.com]

MSXML4 is NOT part of Windows

MSXML4 is NOT part of Windows, so the article is written by a troll MSXML4 is NOT part of Windows, so the article is written by a troll MSXML4 is NOT part of Windows, so the article is written by a troll MSXML4 is NOT part of Windows, so the article is written by a troll MSXML4 is NOT part of Windows, so the article is written by a troll

Re:My first first post!

Damn you, realmolo.

Re:The fix's already available

Let the distro war begin!

Just gimme enough time to grab the popcorn.

Re:Hey, Linux weenies!

As a sexy nerd-girl once said,

      Lay off the caffeine, dog. Now you're seeing things. There ain't no such thing as a sexy nerd girl. There are plenty of sexy girls (directly proportional to the amount of beer you've had), and there are some nerd girls. But sexy nerd girls? No way, unless you are really wasted.

Re:Hey, Linux weenies!

http://www.google.com/trends?q=linux%2Cwindows&cta b=0&geo=all&date=all [google.com]

there's no trend here. windows searches are decreasing also.

Re:sigh.

You're right. This is the sort of English up with which we should not put.

Linux - Ubuntu

another interesing graph [google.com]

Linux searches become Ubuntu searches.

Re:LOL

Some of us gays prefer to stick with Linux, thanks.

Re:"Zero day"

Why can't you just write 'I', without the ',for one,'? There aren't all that many schizophrenics that you need to make the distinction.

Myths...

Nice try :) Let me see you run a windows machine for developing for a month, no crashes, no reboots. Repeat this for month after month. Then let me see you install a windows machine through booting a CD (or DVD if you prefer), seeing everything works as expected, and then initiate the install. The install will automatically accomodate the existing OSs on the computer, and making dual booting between any number of OSs possible. After the install, let me then see you find and install a secure browser, 2 different spreadsheets, a 3D object editor and maybe 30 small games for those 10 minutes with nothing to do. Then let me see you get an overview over all the applications installed, and press a button to upgrade all those to their newest version. Your budget is.... let's be generous and say 30 Euro.

Windows is good for exactly one thing... playing certain games. And it's getting worse all the time (not due to linux, but due to the PSn or whatever those playing boxes are called).As I have lost much of my interest in playing that sort of games, I have never been happier with Linux, which is so much better for what I do... developing software.

Re:"Zero day"

> And before anyone brings it up, yes I am aware that zero day means the exploit was released the day the vulnerability was announced/discovered. That still doesn't change my opinion.

ahhh, I didn't know that but there is so much jargon around these days from people trying to sound sexy and intelligent I do let a lot go over my head. Thanks for the clarification. I've been hearing "zero day zero day" everywhere I thought it must be some kind of clevel attack like Birthday or something. There you go, learn something new every zero day.

Re:"Zero day"

First God booted into his OEM Windows (tm) XP Home,
The hardrive was an empty formatted wasteland, waiting to be filled.
Then God said, "Let there be internet," and there was a connection.
God saw the Internet Explorer icon on his desktop and clicked it.
God surfed the web. Thus sites came, and exploits followed--the zeroth day

Re:Hey, Linux weenies!

Interesting indeed. My conclusion: people have to check the internet to find what's wrong with Windows more often than people have to check to see what's wrong with Mac or Linux.