Network DDE Agent Request Vulnerability New

A security vulnerability exists in Microsoft® Windows® 2000 which, under certain conditions, allow an attacker to gain complete control over an affected machine.

Issue

Network Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) is a technology that enables applications on different Windows computers to dynamically share data. This sharing is effected via communications channels called trusted shares, which are managed by a service called the Network DDE Agent. By design, processes on the local machine can levy requests upon the Network DDE Agent, including ones that indicate what application should be run in conjunction with a particular trusted share. However, a vulnerability exists because, in Windows 2000, the Network DDE Agent runs using the Local System security context and processes all requests using this context, rather than that of the user. This would give an attacker an opportunity to cause the Network DDE Agent to run code of her choice in Local System context, as a means of gaining complete control over the local machine.

In order to exploit this vulnerability, the attacker would need the ability to run a program on an affected machine that would levy the appropriate requests. However, best practices strongly recommend against ever allowing unprivileged users to run code on security-critical machines such as domain controllers and other servers; if these recommendations have been followed, such machines would not be at risk. As a result, workstations and terminal servers are likely to be the machines primarily affected by the vulnerability. This would tend to limit the damage that could be done via this vulnerability because, in most cases, even gaining complete control of either type of machine would not convey any additional privileges on the domain.

Affected Products

• Windows 2000

Download

Patch: http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/Release.asp?ReleaseID=27526

Further Details

Source: Microsoft Corporation

Reference: Microsoft Corporation

Updated: February 9, 2001

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