AusCERT - AL-2009.0022 -- [Win] -- IBM Access Support ActiveX Control: Execute Arbitrary Code

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AL-2009.0022 -- [Win] -- IBM Access Support ActiveX Control: Execute Arbitrary Code
Date: 26 March 2009

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A  U  S  C  E  R  T                                           A  L  E  R  T

                       AL-2009.0022 -- AUSCERT ALERT
                                   [Win]
        IBM Access Support ActiveX Control: Execute Arbitrary Code
                               27 March 2009

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        AusCERT Alert Summary
        ---------------------

Product:              IBM Access Support ActiveX control
Publisher:            US-CERT
Operating System:     Windows
Impact:               Execute Arbitrary Code/Commands
Access:               Remote/Unauthenticated
CVE Names:            CVE-2009-0215

Original Bulletin:    http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/340420

Comment: This ActiveX control may come pre-installed on IBM and Lenovo
         systems. Users of such systems are advised to check for the
         existence of the ActiveX control. Please refer below for details
         on how to do so.

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US-CERT Vulnerability Note VU#340420

IBM Access Support ActiveX control stack buffer overflow

Overview

The IBM Access Support ActiveX control contains a stack buffer overflow, 
which may allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary 
code on a vulnerable system.

I. Description

The IBM Access Support ActiveX control has the ability to collect system 
information, such as make, model, serial number, OS version, etc. This 
control is available on the IBM / Lenovo web site, and also may come 
pre-installed on IBM and Lenovo computer systems. The IBM Access Support 
ActiveX control, which is provided by IbmEgath.dll, contains a stack buffer 
overflow in the GetXMLValue() method. We have confirmed that version 
3.20.284.0 is vulnerable. Other versions may also contain the flaw.

II. Impact

By convincing a user to view a specially crafted HTML document (e.g., a web 
page or an HTML email message or attachment), an attacker may be able to 
execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user. The attacker could 
also cause Internet Explorer (or the program using the WebBrowser control) 
to crash.

III. Solution

We are currently unaware of a practical solution to this problem. Please 
consider the following workarounds:

Disable the IBM Access Support ActiveX control in Internet Explorer

The vulnerable ActiveX control can be disabled in Internet Explorer by 
setting the kill bit for the following CLSID:

      {74FFE28D-2378-11D5-990C-006094235084}

More information about how to set the kill bit is available in Microsoft 
Support Document 240797. Alternatively, the following text can be saved as 
a .REG file and imported to set the kill bit for this control:

      Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

      [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Internet Explorer\\ActiveX Compatibility\\{74FFE28D-2378-11D5-990C-006094235084}]
      \"Compatibility Flags\"=dword:00000400

Disable ActiveX

Disabling ActiveX controls in the Internet Zone (or any zone used by an 
attacker) appears to prevent exploitation of this and other ActiveX 
vulnerabilities. Instructions for disabling ActiveX in the Internet Zone 
can be found in the \"Securing Your Web Browser\" document. 

Systems Affected

Vendor			Status	Date 	Notified	Date Updated
IBM Corporation		Vulnerable	2008-08-22	2009-02-05
Lenovo			Vulnerable	2008-08-22	2009-02-05

References

http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/380277
http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/securing_browser/
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/240797

Credit

Thanks to Chris Weber of Casaba Security for reporting this vulnerability.

This document was written by Will Dormann.
Other Information
Date Public:			2009-03-24
Date First Published:		2009-03-24
Date Last Updated:		2009-03-25
CERT Advisory:	 
CVE-ID(s):			CVE-2009-0215
NVD-ID(s):			CVE-2009-0215
US-CERT Technical Alerts:	 
Metric:				3.36
Document Revision:		15

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===========================================================================
Australian Computer Emergency Response Team
The University of Queensland
Brisbane
Qld 4072

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