ZONEALARM SECURITY ADVISORY
Severity: High

Microsoft Internet Explorer Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Date Published : 12 December 2006

Date Last Revised : 12 December 2006

Overview : A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Microsoft Internet Explorer.

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

Description : Several vulnerabilities exist in Internet Explorer. The first vulnerability is a remote code execution vulnerability, which exists in Internet Explorer due to attempts to access previously freed memory when handling script errors in certain situations. The second vulnerability is a remote code execution vulnerability, which exists due to the way Internet Explorer interprets certain DHTML script function calls to incorrectly created elements. The third vulnerabiltiy is an information disclosure vulnerability, which exists in Internet Explorer in the way that drag and drop operations are handled in certain situations. The fourth vulnerability is an an information disclosure vulnerability, which exists in Internet Explorer in certain scenarios where the path to the cached content in the Temporary Internet Files (TIF) folder could be disclosed.

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

Impact : To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker could host a specially crafted Web site that is designed to exploit these vulnerabilities through Internet Explorer and then persuade a user to view the Web site. This can also include Web sites that accept user-provided content or advertisements, Web sites that host user-provided content or advertisements, and compromised Web sites. These Web sites could contain specially crafted content that could exploit these vulnerabilities. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to persuade users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or in an Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker's Web site. It could also be possible to display specially crafted Web content by using banner advertisements or by using other methods to deliver Web content to affected systems.

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 MS06-072 for a complete list of affected platforms: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS06-072.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.

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.

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 MS06-072: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS06-072.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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