ZONEALARM SECURITY ADVISORY
Severity: High

Microsoft Workstation Service Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Date Published : 14 November 2006

Date Last Revised : 14 November 2006

Overview : A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the Microsoft Workstation service.

This vulnerability has been classified as "High Risk." Computer users should take appropriate action to patch vulnerable systems.

Description : The cause of the vulnerability is an unchecked buffer in the Workstation service.

Both local file system requests and remote file or print network requests are routed through the Workstation service. This service determines where the resource is located and then routes the request to the local file system or to the networking components. When the Workstation service is stopped, all requests are assumed to be local requests.

An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system.

Impact : An attacker could try to exploit the vulnerability by creating a specially crafted message and sending the message to an affected system. The message could then cause the affected system to execute code.

An attack that is successfully exploited would enable an attacker to install malicious code (worm, virus, Trojan horse), read confidential data, or take control over the target system.

Platforms Affected : Please review the Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-070 for a complete list of affected platforms: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS06-070.mspx

ZoneAlarm Products That Provide Protection : To ensure the most comprehensive protection, computer users should employ ZoneAlarm Security Suite, or ZoneAlarm Pro. Zone Labs products are not vulnerable to this attack. All Zone Labs security products, including ZoneAlarm, protect the user's system from unauthorized access and intrusions, and alert the user when malicious code attempts to access the network.

Recommended Actions :

ZoneAlarm Family

ZoneAlarm Pro and ZoneAlarm Security Suite protect your system against this vulnerability through "Internet Zone Security" and "Trusted Zone Security". It is recommended that you ensure the following:

  • Internet Zone Security is set to High.
  • Trusted Zone Security is set to Medium.
  • Only trusted hosts are in the 'Trusted' Zone.
  • Use Classic Firewall rules to restrict TCP ports 139 and 445. By default these ports are blocked by ZoneAlarm.

Check Point Integrity

Check Point Integrity protects your system against this vulnerability through the following available services:

Classic Firewall Rules

It is recommended that you ensure:

  • Only trusted hosts are in the 'Trusted' Zone.
  • Use Classic Firewall rules to restrict TCP ports 139 and 445. By default these ports are blocked by Check Point Integrity.

SmartDefense Program Advisor

SmartDefense Program Advisor automatically blocks malware. It is recommended that you ensure the following:

  • Internet Zone Security is set to High.
  • Trusted Zone Security is set to Medium.

For more information about activating SmartDefense Program Advisor, please refer to CPSA200510 .

Advanced Cooperative Enforcement

  • Use Advanced Cooperative Enforcement to enforce policy upon remote endpoints.

Related Resources :

Install Microsoft patches to remove this vulnerability from the Windows Operating System and other software components: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com

Review Microsoft Security Bulletin MS06-070: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS06-070.mspx

Disclaimer : The information in this advisory is believed to be accurate at the time of publishing based on currently available information. Use of the information constitutes acceptance for use in an AS IS condition. There are no warranties with regard to this information. Neither the author nor the publisher accepts any liability for any direct, indirect, or consequential loss or damage arising from use of, or reliance on, this information.

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