Advisory #265 - Microsoft (Multiple), Multiple News

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Sûnnet Beskerming Alert List Advisory #265

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Contents
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1. SECURITY
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1.1 Microsoft (Multiple)
        - Remote Hacker Automatic Control
        - Time Since Discovery - 5 days
======================================
/*
        - Remote or Local - Can it be achieved through a network or does it  
require physical access?
        - Hacker - The bad guy
        - Manual or Automatic  - Does the vulnerability need to be manually  
performed, or can it be automated?
        - Control, Denial of Service or Data Theft - Will the hacker get  
control of your system / website, will they prevent you from using it,  
or will they steal data.
*/
--------------------------------------------------------------------
2.    NEWS
--------------------------------------------------------------------
2.1 OS X Coming Under Increased Researcher Scrutiny
2.2 Around the Frayed Edge of PCI DSS
2.3 Does Microsoft Gain From Exposing Collaborative Cloud Effort?
2.4 Information Distribution Being Shaken Up In More Than One Way
2.5 A PowerPoint 0-day and a Second Worm Targeting MS08-067
=====================================

1. SECURITY

1.1 Microsoft (Multiple) - Remote Hacker Automatic Control

        -- Products Affected --
        Windows, Excel, Wordpad, Internet Explorer, ISA Server
       
        -- Technical Description --
        MS09-009 - Excel. Random code execution. Replaces MS08-074. Critical
        MS09-010 - Wordpad. Random code execution. Replaces MS04-027. Critical
        MS09-011 - DirectX. Random code execution. Replaces MS08-033. Critical
        MS09-012 - Windows. Multiple vulnerabilities, including code  
execution. Replaces MS07-022, MS08-002, MS08-064. Important
        MS09-013 - HTTP Services. Multiple vulnerabilities, including code  
execution. Critical
        MS09-014 - Internet Explorer. Multiple vulnerabilities, including  
code execution. Replaces MS08-073, MS08-078, MS09-002. Critical
        MS09-015 - Windows. API Update. Replaces MS07-035. Moderate
        MS09-016 - ISA Server. Multiple vulnerabilities including Denial of  
Service. Important

        -- Description --
        Microsoft's patch release for April saw eight patches released, five  
Critical, two Moderate, and one Important.  Most of the patches  
address code execution vulnerabilities, most of which have already had  
public exploit code readily available for them.  Of note, one of the  
patches that doesn't address a code execution vulnerability, MS09-015,  
provides an updated system API to help mitigate the risk posed to  
systems by malware that tries to install fake system libraries.  This  
API makes the system look for libraries in the system directory by  
default and also changes the order in which they are searched for  
(which closes a very old method of getting malicious code to load).

        -- Recommended Action --
        All users and administrators should apply the updates at the earliest  
opportunity.

        -- Source --
        http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-apr.mspx
        http://www.beskerming.com/premium/patch_pack.html
        http://store.eSellerate.net/s.asp?s=STR3448907936&Cmd=CATALOG&CategoryID=9811
       
        -- Updates Available --
        http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-009.mspx
        http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-010.mspx
        http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-011.mspx
        http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-012.mspx
        http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-013.mspx
        http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-014.mspx
        http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-015.mspx
        http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-016.mspx

        -- External Tracking Data --
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0100 (MS09-009)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0238 (MS09-009)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2008-4841 (MS09-010)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0087 (MS09-010)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0088 (MS09-010)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0235 (MS09-010)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0084 (MS09-011)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2008-1436 (MS09-012)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0078 (MS09-012)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0079 (MS09-012)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0080 (MS09-012)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0086 (MS09-013)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0089 (MS09-013)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0550 (MS09-013)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2008-2540 (MS09-014)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0550 (MS09-014)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0551 (MS09-014)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0552 (MS09-014)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0553 (MS09-014)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0554 (MS09-014)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2008-2540 (MS09-015)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0077 (MS09-016)
        CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0237 (MS09-016)

        -- Threat Matrix --
                        U O
        Home User 10 10 (Highly Critical)
        Corporate 10 10 (Highly Critical)

=======================================
/*
Threat Matrix:
        U - User
        O - Operator
        Harmless - 0 ----- 10 - Highly Critical
*/
=======================================

2. NEWS

2.1 OS X Coming Under Increased Researcher Scrutiny

While it is still a less-targeted platform, Apple's OS X operating  
system has seen some interesting Information Research published in  
recent months.

In February, Vincenzo Iozzo presented at Black Hat 09 a method for  
injection of code directly into the memory of another application,  
while it is running. This takes place completely in memory (which  
separates it from previous vulnerabilities of this style) and  
disappearing when the application is terminated. It could be argued  
that this presents an epipyhtic rather than a parasitic attack route,  
given that there is no reliance on the host system to store any part  
of it (other than active memory), it attaches into an existing  
application, and disappears cleanly at the end.

This method still has to rely upon somehow getting the code launched  
in the first place, but it means that once launched it is going to be  
hidden from sight and not show up as a running process. Getting the  
user to launch an arbitrary application is more of a social weakness  
than a technical one, as the mountains of malware and infected Windows  
systems can attest.

More recently, Dino Dai Zovi demonstrated a heap overflow  
vulnerability (of which he claims there are several just waiting ready  
to find) which allowed him to take images with the iSight camera.  
Meanwhile, at the Pwn2Own contest at CanSecWest, last year's winner,  
Charlie Miller, walked away with the MacBook inside of ten seconds, on  
his first attempt. Using a Safari vulnerability, he was able to gain  
access at least to the privileges that Safari was running under and  
demonstrate code execution. Miller had been able to develop and test  
the exploit ahead of time and was confident that he would be able to  
take out the target system, even going so far as to claim ahead of the  
competition that Safari would be the first browser compromised.

Critics would argue that by allowing the use of web browsers on the  
first day of the competition, it effectively moved the competition  
from an attack against the underlying systems to an attack against web  
browser security. With the constant barrage of critical patches for  
web browsers across all platforms, it shouldn't come as any surprise  
that the competition systems were compromised so quickly. With  
researchers having had months to prepare and develop their pet  
exploits, it comes down to a race as to who gets to try their exploit  
first, rather than a valid example of how long it takes a  
representative system to fall to attack. Critics would also point out  
that the more desirable laptop (at least for many the more desirable)  
would also be the first and most targeted.

Critical arguments aside, it is getting harder to argue that OS X is a  
lesser targeted platform, especially with the recent work put into  
updating one of the most popular hacking toolkits, MetaSploit, with OS  
X specific capabilities and vulnerabilities. It should not come as any  
surprise that those most responsible for the increase in capability  
are Charlie Miller and Dino Dai Zovi.

In the face of increasing attention and public exploit demonstration  
and release, is it time for Apple to move to a pre-ordained patch  
release schedule? Some would argue that it is long past the time when  
this should have happened, while others are content with the  
relatively random release cycle currently in use. At the least, Apple  
could do well by considering how Microsoft has engaged all aspects of  
the Information Security community and how they handle Information  
Security vulnerability data and patches.


2.2 Around the Frayed Edge of PCI DSS

Following the breach of credit card processor, Heartland, there has  
been heated debate on both sides of the argument, as to the value of  
PCI and similar mechanisms for ensuring data safety (the new buzz word  
of the month being Data Loss Prevention) and system and network  
integrity. It doesn't really matter whether there is anything better  
available in the marketplace or not, PCI DSS has been seized upon as  
the 'best practice' which could lead to ostracisation  
(excommunication, maybe) if a business chooses not to follow it and  
still tries to carry out credit and debit card transaction handling.

It only takes a single hole to undo a well-constructed set of  
defences, but if so many companies are touting their compliance and  
adherence to the PCI DSS, and no fully accredited company has had a  
breach, what really happened with the Heartland and RBS Worldpay  
cases? Is it really security theatre as some would argue, or is it  
merely the latest sticking point for people who don't want to go  
through the process of auditing and assessment to get accredited? Are  
companies claiming that they are compliant, but aren't, in order to  
retain or attract customers who are aware of the existence of PCI?

Some of the most ardent advocates of PCI claim that, even if it were  
security theatre, then it has at least raised awareness of Information  
Security in general and still represents a great leap forward in that  
respect and helps force some basic best practices. The problem with  
this argument is that doing a really bad job at Information Security  
can be more dangerous than no effort at all.

Did Sarbannes-Oxley prevent the financial meltdown? Did the presence  
of HIPAA and SB1386 stop the growth of information breaches (it has to  
be admitted that SB1386 really set the standard for information  
disclosure reporting and helped formalise the current requirements  
that exist)? No, and no.

What would go a long way to helping assuage concerned observers would  
be complete transparency with reporting of breaches and the subsequent  
investigations. So you've had a breach and had to report it. The time  
for trying to save face has already passed, now it is important, if  
not essential, for complete and open honesty in order that others may  
learn from what happened to you (even if it is your mistake that led  
to the incident). Unfortunately, this will only happen in an ideal  
world - there is just too much at stake to expect people to be  
completely honest and open about what has happened or is happening.  
Besides, Denial is one of the stages of grief and a major security  
incident does attract a grief-like response.

This is an area where the direct involvement of an Information  
Security professional is really what is needed, but it also seems to  
be the least likely to actually happen within the organisations that  
need it the most. Good security practices and awareness, even without  
the software and hardware elements to back them up are better than all  
the software, hardware, and industry best practices that are only  
backed by a laissez faire attitude.

Just a little something to think about the next time you sit down to  
consider your Information Security needs and compliance to industry  
standards.


2.3 Does Microsoft Gain From Exposing Collaborative Cloud Effort?

A group of competitors come together in secret to create a common  
approach to handling how different 'clouds' might interact and allow  
data to move between, setting out a community-based approach.

Only, now it isn't so secret.

Microsoft were recently invited to be part of this currently secretive  
group, comprised of unknown members, but believed to include at least  
IBM, Amazon, and Google, but decided not to be involved, choosing to  
publicly disclose the existence of the document that is being created  
in private at the moment.

Microsoft's argument that openness and real community assistance in  
developing the 'Cloud Manifesto' is what is really important is true,  
though it does come as a surprise coming from Microsoft, a company  
that has traditionally fought against the methods and concepts used in  
Open Source.

It seems that the intention has always been to open up the discussion  
on the effort once a common approach had been agreed upon, so the  
question then becomes at what point is it harmful to keep the  
development and structuring of the manifesto private? Does it really  
benefit the wider community to have input from the very beginning of  
the process, or is it best to wait until the major service providers  
have worked out a means to interact. The risk of the latter is that  
proprietary systems may be implemented that are mutually beneficent to  
the major players who have created the agreement, forcing everyone  
else to licence and pay for them, or result in the selection of a sub-
optimal solution. The flipside is that allowing everyone to have input  
from the very beginning risks having the project bogged down in  
minutiae at every turn and could then be forked to a more private  
equivalent that is almost the same as what is in place at the moment.

Sometimes projects need a strong leadership cabal who are capable of  
making decisions in private before putting them out for community  
input and decision. Even major Open Source projects and movements have  
figureheads and key decision makers who manage to retain veto powers.

Cloud computing may be just the buzz word du jour, but with the  
resources being thrown at it and it being touted as the solution for  
everything, there is a lot riding on getting different vendor  
creations talking to each other and sharing data effectively. Rather  
than having cute fluffy clouds that build and share with each other we  
risk having massive towering cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds that  
smash into each other, releasing massive amounts of lightning and  
thunder, but not achieving much by way of sharing resources. One  
buzzword is being supported by another, with Microsoft pushing SOAP,  
XML, and REST as part of their approach to opening the data in the  
cloud.

When Microsoft holds up Silverlight as an example of openness and  
standardisation it leaves a strange taste in the mouths of open source  
advocates, something which is further enhanced by the claim that the  
manifesto organisers were unwilling to accept Microsoft's  
'enhancements to the document'.

Microsoft's move to publicly announce in this light looks like a  
vindictive dummy spit, while the reluctance of the other companies  
looks like they have an awareness of recent decades of history, where  
Microsoft 'enhancements' often cripple or kill non-Microsoft  
technologies. Past history can be forgiven, but it isn't going to be  
forgotten so quickly. Microsoft may just have to accept that, for the  
next couple of years at least, they will encounter this sort of  
stonewalling when interacting with the long term companies in the  
sector. If their actions indicate that they will no longer use their  
'enhancements' to neuter, then it may be accepted. The whole push to  
subjugate OpenDocument through the use of Open Office XML (OOXML)  
isn't going to leave many feeling willing to readily accept Microsoft  
and their enhancements.

Statements such as "Cloud computing...[will] be driven in beneficial  
ways by a lot of innovation that we're dreaming up today" by Microsoft  
are a two edged sword. The benefits may be great, but it carries all  
the hallmarks of being a proprietary Microsoft-only approach that has  
been demonstrated all too many times before.

We'll all just have to wait until the Cloud manifesto is released  
(said to be March 30) to see just what the hype is all about and what  
sort of ideas and processes have been implemented. Those who think the  
cloud is just another hype-filled waste of time might secretly be  
cheering for the manifesto to be a failure, or for Microsoft to really  
deliver on their 'enhancements' as they have in the past and kill it  
before it gets too big.

Who is really behind it all? Links to groups and sites have sprung up  
all over the place, but with the dating on many being after Microsoft  
spilled the beans, it is hard to say where it originated, though here  
and here are two of the most likely sources behind the manifesto.  
Despite the open linkage after Microsoft's announcement, it does seem  
that Microsoft does have a minor point. From the available  
information, it does look like there are some biases present (a Google  
Code project - probably one of the sore points for Microsoft), but it  
is far more open than what has come before.

Come the 30th, we will be able to see just what the bickering and hype  
is all about. What is almost certain is that the people and groups  
behind the manifesto have completely screwed up the handling of the  
public release of information and are scrambling to recover after  
Microsoft's announcement.

Let's hope the standard for intercommunication and sharing of data put  
forward in the manifesto is better than what has been displayed so far.


2.4 Information Distribution Being Shaken Up In More Than One Way

More and more pressure is being placed on traditional publishers as  
the economic crisis continues to bite. Recently there have been major  
newspaper publishers filing for bankruptcy protection, with the  
publisher of the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune, and the  
publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times filing within four months of each  
other. Within that timeframe, the Rocky Mountain News has completely  
closed down, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer has given up print  
editions.

It isn't just newspapers that are feeling the pressure. Microsoft has  
made the decision to shut down their Encarta encyclopedia website and  
software lines. In explaining why they have made the decision to close  
down this service, it appears that it is due to the changing way that  
people seek and obtain information.

Ready access to a seemingly-limitless tap of free or low cost  
information is going to make charging for access to the same (or even  
slightly out-dated) information more difficult. Be it encyclopedia or  
print media, both faced the same problems from the way people obtain  
and consume information. Economic struggles in the wider marketplace  
are just a catalyst, the real struggle has been with maintaining  
relevancy and a paying client-base in the face of increasingly free  
and comparative quality services.

The big risk is that it could see a decline in investigative  
journalism as fewer organisations are capable of providing the  
resources for journalists to spend weeks and months developing a  
story. There is also a fear that the quality of journalism is going to  
decline as the number of potential news sources rapidly increases  
online.

Counter to this argument is the claim that much of what has passed for  
journalism in recent years has been poorly written and researched,  
with much content lifted from the online sources that are now moving  
in to take over the role that the print media once had held in those  
areas.

No one will really miss this aspect of journalism.

It doesn't help that circular reporting continues to take place (where  
one single source is the spawn for numerous articles that busily cite  
each other as proof of something happening), but at least with an  
online-primary means of reporting and distribution, this cycle will  
take place much quicker, though involve more articles of dubious  
quality re-reporting the same factoid.

In the face of this news, it might be surprising, then, to find online  
information providers also cutting back on their capabilities and  
reach. Rather than having people find the same information from other  
sources, it seems that falling advertising revenues are making it  
difficult to retain all the writers on staff.

The first to go in any downturn are the freelancers and contractors.  
Many who were in this position 12 months ago have found their services  
suddenly no longer needed (including some of our own staff who were  
writing freelance material in recent years).

Content providers are struggling to find the balance between  
delivering quality content in the right quantity, with fewer people.  
The fewer articles that are published and the fewer number of site  
visitors, the lower the advertising revenue and the harder it is to  
retain writers. And so the vicious cycle continues.

Long term Internet users like to argue that much of the advertising is  
overbearing and annoying, especially on sites where simple, short  
content is spread across several pages in order to maximise potential  
ad revenue and the number of ad impressions per article. There are  
numerous methods by which site visitors can block the advertisements  
that site operators try to get them to view. Some methods block the  
requests completely, saving the advertisers the cost of an impression  
that isn't seen. Other methods download the advertisement, but then  
discard the data once on the local system. This gives the site  
operator the impression revenue, but forces the advertiser to pay for  
marketing that is never seen.

With advertising continuing to push in on the content of many sites,  
falling ad revenues, and increasing methods to fake impressions or  
click-through rates, it should come as little surprise that this is  
causing content providers who have built their business plans around  
advertising fees a lot of trouble and concern.

It hasn't quite been an Internet 2.0 bubble, at least not yet, but the  
online environment and many global information collation and  
distribution networks are going through some fairly major changes at  
the moment. Changes that will set out how we seek and interact with  
information into the future. Some of the changes are going to be a  
step back from what we have now, but it is the unknown technological  
improvements that will come along that will really change the world.


2.5 A PowerPoint 0-day and a Second Worm Targeting MS08-067

Microsoft has in recent days identified a new PowerPoint vulnerability  
that has been attacked in the wild prior to detection, and have also  
announced the discovery of another malware family attacking the same  
MS08-067 vulnerability that Conficker initially did.

For the PowerPoint vulnerability, use of the Microsoft Office Isolated  
Conversion Environment (MOICE) will help mitigate against attack, by  
converting existing binary office file formats into the XML format  
supported by recent versions of Office. Microsoft's write up (linked  
to above) demonstrates two examples of how the infected PowerPoint  
files might appear when first opened, as well as a description of some  
of the actions taken once an infected file is opened. Rather than  
using the MOICE, an alternative is to avoid PowerPoint files from  
untrusted sources or unexpected files from trusted sources.

The new worm family attacking MS08-067's vulnerability appear to have  
evolved from an older code base that previously was attacking MS06-040  
and earlier vulnerabilities. What is different about this particular  
strain detected by Microsoft, is that the worm appears to have  
integrated some of the features in use by Conficker.

Apart from targeting the MS08-067 vulnerability, it also spreads via  
autorun, appearing very similar to how a Conficker infected device  
appears when connected to a system. Similar to Conficker, the worm  
downloads its worm payload via HTTP after initial infection, and uses  
a driver to patch the network layer to remove system outbound  
connection limits in Windows XP SP2.

Although the described added features are fairly generic, the  
particular grouping of them in worms attacking the same vulnerability  
is an interesting coincidence that could be worth some increased  
investigation. By being able to attach itself to the system to be  
loaded even in Safe Boot mode, it is going to make it harder than the  
average piece of malware to get rid of.

=======================================

Sincerely,

Sûnnet Beskerming Team
info@...
Sûnnet Beskerming Pty. Ltd.
Adelaide, Australia
http://www.beskerming.com
Tel: [phone]

** Sûnnet Beskerming Pty. Ltd. **

Established in mid 2004, Sûnnet Beskerming Pty. Ltd. is the sister  
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commercialise the research coming out of Jongsma & Jongsma Pty. Ltd..  
Sûnnet Beskerming Pty. Ltd. is an Information Security specialist and,  
in conjunction with the tools developed by Jongsma & Jongsma Pty.  
Ltd., provides total security solutions and services, from the  
perimeter to internal data stores, including web application security  
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