SANS ISC: 5 Microsoft Advisories

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SANS ISC InfoSec Forums

Microsoft release 5 new advisories today:

Most of these advisories require updates to Microsoft Office. In order to
download and install the patches, use this URL:

http://office.microsoft.com/productupdates/

The regular Windows Update service will not offer any Office patches. Make sure
you have your Microsoft Office CDs ready. The patch may require you to insert the CDs for Office, Frontpage and Visio. The exact CDs required varies from installation to installation.

This is a very brief summary to allow you to scan the issues. Please refer to the Microsoft bulletins for details.

MS03-34: Flaw in NetBIOS Could Lead to Information Disclosure

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-034.asp

If a host responds to Netbios name queries, the packet is padded with content pulled from memory. If you are unlucky, this could be a password. The severity of this issue is rated low for all effected version of Windows. Windows NT 4.0, NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition, 2000, XP and 2003 are vulnerable.

The memory location is random and there is no obvious way for an attacker to control it.

MS03-35: Flaw in Microsoft Word Could Enable Macros to Run Automatically

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-035.asp

This problem could allow an attacker to run Word macros and bypass various protection mechanisms. All versions of Word and Microsoft Works are effected and
Microsoft considers this an "important" issue.

In order to execute a macro, the document has to be opened in Word. Alternative office suites like Open Office can be used. In general, it is not a good idea to open any attachment from an untrusted source. Digital signatures can be used to avoid 'From' spoofing.

MS03-36: Buffer Overrun in WordPerfect Converter Could Allow Code Execution

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-036.asp

The Wordperfect converter included in Microsoft Office, Frontpage, Publisher and Works is suceptible to a buffer overflow. The attacker can execute arbitrary code as the user opening the file. Again, do not open attachments you don't trust.

MS03-37: Flaw in Visual Basic for Applications Could Allow Arbitrary Code Execution

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-037.asp

MS03-38: Unchecked buffer in Microsoft Access Snapshot Viewer Could Allow Code Execution

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-038.asp