Date: 26 June 2002
Software: Windows Media Player
Impact: Three new vulnerabilities, the most serious of which could run code of attacker's choice
Max Risk: Critical
Bulletin: MS02-032

Microsoft encourages customers to review the Security Bulletin at:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS02-032.asp.

Issue:
This is a cumulative patch that includes the functionality of all previously released patches for Windows Media Player 6.4, 7.1 and Windows Media Player for Windows XP. In addition, it eliminates the following three newly discovered vulnerabilities one of which is rated as critical severity, one of which is rated moderate severity, and the last of which is rated low severity:

- An information disclosure vulnerability that could provide the means to enable an attacker to run code on the user's system and is rated as critical severity.

- A privilege elevation vulnerability that could enable an attacker who can physically logon locally to a Windows 2000 machine and run a program to obtain the same rights as the operating system.

- A script execution vulnerability related that could run a script of an attacker's choice as if the user had chosen to run it after playing a specially formed media file and then viewing a specially constructed web page. This  particular vulnerability has specific timing requirements that makes attempts to exploit vulnerability difficult and is rated as low severity.

It also introduces a configuration change relating to file extensions associated with Windows Media Player.  Finally, it introduces a new, optional, security configuration feature for users or organizations that want to take extra precautions beyond applying IE patch MS02-023 and want to disable scripting functionality in the Windows Media Player for versions 7.x or higher.

Mitigating Factors:

Cache Patch Disclosure via Windows Media Player

- Customers who have applied MS02-023 are protected against attempts to automatically exploit this issue  through HTML email when they read email in the Restricted Sites zone. Outlook 98 and Outlook 2000 with the Outlook Email Security Update, Outlook 2002 and Outlook Express 6.0 all read email in the Restricted Sites
zone by default.

- The vulnerability does not affect media files opened from the local machine. As a result of this, users who download and save files locally are not affected by attempts to exploit this vulnerability.

Privilege Elevation through Windows Media Device Manager Service:

- This issue affects only Windows Media Player 7.1 it does not affect Windows Media Player for Windows XP nor Windows Media Player 6.4.

- The vulnerability only affects Windows Media Player 7.1 when run on Windows 2000, it does not impact  systems that have no user security model such as Windows 98 or Windows ME systems.

- This issue only affects console sessions; users who logon via terminal sessions cannot exploit this  vulnerability.

- An attacker must be able to load and run a program on the system. Anything that prevents an attacker from loading or running a program could protect against attempts to exploit this vulnerability.

Media Playback Script Invocation:

- A successful attack requires a specific series of actions follows in exact order, otherwise the attack will fail.
Specifically:
- A user must play a specially formed media file from an attacker.
- After playing the file, the user must shut down Windows Media Player without playing another file.
- The user must then view a web page constructed by the attacker.

Risk Rating of new vulnerabilities:
- Internet systems: Low
- Intranet systems: Low
- Client systems: Critical

Aggregate Risk Rating (including issues addressed in previously released patches):
- Internet systems: Critical
- Intranet systems: Critical
- Client systems: Critical

Patch Availability:
- A patch is available to fix this vulnerability. Please read the Security Bulletin at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms02-032.asp
for information on obtaining this patch.

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