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Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000 Can Be Disrupted By Remote Users Due to Memory Leaks and Also Allows Cross-Site Scripting Attacks
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SecurityTracker Alert ID: 1002206 |
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SecurityTracker URL: http://securitytracker.com/id/1002206
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CVE Reference:
CAN-2001-0546, CAN-2001-0547, CAN-2001-0658
(Links to External Site)
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Updated: Dec 1 2003
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Original Entry Date: Aug 17 2001
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Impact:
Denial of service via network
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Fix Available: Yes Vendor Confirmed: Yes
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Description:
Microsoft reported three separate vulnerabilities in their Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000. Two of the security flaws allow remote users to cause the server to consume available memory, one via the H.323 service and the other via the Proxy service. The third flaw allows for cross-site scripting attacks.
A memory leak in the H.323 Gatekeeper Service for voice-over-IP traffic processing can reportedly be triggered by a remote user sending malformed H.323 data through the server. If a remote user repeatedly sends this malformed data, all available memory on the server could be consumed, causing performance to degrade or causing communication services to be disrupted. Normal service can be restored by cycling the H.323 service.
Another memory leak exists in the Proxy service that can similarly be triggered by a malformed connection (the specific nature of this malformed data was not disclosed). If a remote user repeatedly sends this malformed data, all available memory on the server could be consumed, causing performance to degrade or causing communication services to be disrupted. Normal service can be restored by cycling the Proxy service.
Finally, the ISA Server 2000 permits cross-site scripting attacks. The server generates error pages that reference the failed URL when a remote user causes a page error (e.g., page not found). This allows a remote user to create a web page or HTML-based e-mail that includes specially crafted scripts pointing to the ISA server that will cause the scripts to be executed in another user's browser when the page is viewed. The script would run in the security domain of the ISA server and would be able to access any cookies the ISA server has written to the user s machine.
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Impact:
A remote user can cause the communication services to be disrupted, requiring the affected services to be restarted. A remote user can also issue a cross-site scripting attack referencing the ISA server.
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Solution:
The vendor has released a patch for Microsoft ISA Server 2000:
http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/Release.asp?ReleaseID=32094
This patch can reportedly be installed on systems running ISA Server 2000 Gold. Microsoft plans to include the fix for this issue in ISA Server 2000 Service Pack 1.
The vendor notes that this patch supersedes the one provided via Microsoft Security Bulletin MS01-021.
The patch should create the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \Software\Microsoft\FPC\Hotfixes\ISA3.0\68.
For further information, see Knowledge Base article Q289503:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q289/5/03.ASP
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Vendor URL: www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS01-045.asp (Links to External Site)
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Cause:
Resource error
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Underlying OS:
Windows (NT), Windows (2000)
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Message History:
None.
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Source Message Contents
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Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 14:03:51 -0700
Subject: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS01-045
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The following is a Security Bulletin from the Microsoft Product Security
Notification Service.
Please do not reply to this message, as it was sent from an unattended
mailbox.
********************************
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: ISA Server H.323 Gatekeeper Service Contains Memory Leak
Date: 16 August 2001
Software: ISA Server 2000
Impact: Denial of service, cross-site scripting
Bulletin: MS01-045
Microsoft encourages customers to review the Security Bulletin at:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS01-045.asp.
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Issue:
======
This bulletin discusses three security vulnerabilities that are
unrelated except in the sense that both affect ISA Server 2000:
- A denial of service vulnerability involving the H.323 Gatekeeper
Service, a service that supports the transmission of voice-over-IP
traffic through the firewall. The service contains a memory leak
that is triggered by a particular type of malformed H.323 data.
Each time such data is received, the memory available on the
server is depleted by a small amount; if an attacker repeatedly
sent such data, the performance of the server could deteriorate to
the point where it would effectively disrupt all communications
across the firewall. A server administrator could restore normal
service by cycling the H.323 service.
- A denial of service vulnerability in the in the Proxy service.
Like the vulnerability above, this one is caused by a memory leak,
and could be used to degrade the performance of the server to
the point where is disrupted communcations.
- A cross-site scripting vulnerability affecting the error page
that ISA Server 2000 generates in response to a failed request
for a web page. An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by
tricking a user into submitting to ISA Server 2000 an URL that
has the following characteristics: (a) it references a valid
web site; (b)it requests a page within that site that can't be
retrieved - that is, a non-existent page or one that generates
an error; and (c) it contains script within the URL. The error
page generated by ISA Server 2000 would contain the embedded
script commands, which would execute when the page was displayed
in the user's browser. The script would run in the security domain
of the web site referenced in the URL, and would be able to access
any cookies that site has written to the user's machine.
Mitigating Factors:
====================
H.323 Denial of service vulnerability:
- The vulnerability could only be exploited if the H.323 Gatekeeper
Service was installed. It is only installed by default if "Full
Installation" is chosen; if "Typical Installation" is selected,
it is not installed.
- The vulnerability would not enable an attacker to gain any
privileges on an affected server or add any traffic to an existing
voice-over-IP session. It is strictly a denial of service
vulnerability.
Proxy Service Denial of service vulnerability:
- The vulnerability could only be exploited by an internal user; it
could not be exploited by an Internet user.
- The vulnerability would not enable an attacker to gain any
privileges on an affected server or compromise any cached content
on the server. It is strictly a denial of service vulnerability.
Cross-site scripting vulnerability:
- In order to run script in the security domain of a trusted site,
the attacker would need to know which sites, if any, a user
trusted. Most users use the default security settings for all web
sites, which would effectively deny an attacker any gain in
exploiting the vulnerability for the purposes of running script.
- An attacker who wished to read other sites' cookies on a user's
machine would have no way to know which sites had placed cookies
there. The attacker would need to exploit the vulnerability once
for every web site whose cookies she wished to access.
- Even if the attacker correctly guessed which sites had placed
cookies on a user's machine, there should be no sensitive
information in the cookies, if best practices have been followed.
Patch Availability:
===================
- A patch is available to fix this vulnerability. Please read the
Security Bulletin
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms01-045.asp
for information on obtaining this patch.
Acknowledgment:
===============
- Peter Grundl for reporting the memory leaks in the H.323
Gatekeeper Service and the Proxy Service.
- Dr. Hiromitsu Takagi for reporting the cross-site scripting
vulnerability.
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED
"AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL
WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT
SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY
DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,
CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF
MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION
OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO
THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.
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