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ms posts winnt screen saver patch
- From: Paul Howell
- Date: Tue Mar 16 07:05:12 1999
Below is a news story which talks about a vulnerability within the
screen saver of WinNT.
The offical MS announcement is at
http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/ms99-008.asp
< paul
Microsoft posts Windows NT patch
By Stephanie Miles
March 15, 1999, 11:40 a.m. PT
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0%2C4%2C33754%2C00.html?sas.mail
Microsoft has released a patch for a Windows NT bug that allows users to gain
access to privileged files by exploiting a flaw in the screensaver.
Microsoft issued a security bulletin to its users on Friday night and made
the patch available on its Web site.
The Windows NT screensaver matches the security level of the user logged onto
the machine, Microsoft explained, but does not check to make sure that the
match is accurate. Theoretically, a malicious screensaver file could allow
any user to log on as an administrator.
The NT flaw is the latest in a long line of security issues that have beset
the software maker.
Microsoft admitted last week that its Windows 98 operating system had
surreptitiously, and unintentionally, according to the company, been
gathering user identification numbers during the Windows 98 registration
process. Although Microsoft at first insisted that the numbers were only read
by the Microsoft Web site, subsequently, the company confirmed that any Web
site could gain access to the identification information.
Microsoft's privacy woes come on the heels of Intel's battle with privacy
advocacy groups over its decision to include a serial number on each Pentium
III processor that can identify users during ecommerce transactions. Privacy
groups fear that such a feature could allow marketers and hackers to share or
steal information about users.
The two types of machines at risk for this particular NT security bug are
workstations and terminal servers that allow non-administrative users to
interactively log on, or servers that allow remote users to execute programs.
Windows NT 4.0 is affected by the problem.
There are no known examples of machines that were hacked using this glitch,
Microsoft said. Last week, Microsoft product manager Scott Culp said he
believed any attack using this vulnerability was unlikely.
"It requires a detailed understanding of the operating system--it's a highly
technical attack. This isn't something that's easily put together," he said.
The Windows NT bug was discovered by Cybermedia Software of India.
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