Security flaw in MS Exchange patch

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/19684.html

[It constantly amazes me how Microsoft consistently misses the mark on
security, and then passes the buck off to Marketing and PR to put a
nice spin on things when the media catches wind of it.  - WK]

By Thomas C Greene in Washington
Posted: 14/06/2001 at 00:06 GMT

Users of MS Exchange 5.5 or Exchange 2K with OWA (Outlook Web Access)
implemented -- including those 2K users who patched their systems last
week -- need to install an updated patch as soon as possible because
the one issued earlier for Exchange 2K contains outdated files, and
the vulnerability in 5.5 went unnoticed at first.

The Exchange vulnerability in question executes scripts in HTML e-mail
attachments handled by OWA, and could enable an attacker to access a
users mailbox with the user's level of permission.

MS says that, "under certain circumstances," these actions could
include "manipulation of messages or folders."

By the handy euphemism "manipulation of messages" Microsoft means the
attacker can take over and then spam the known universe in your name,
threaten the lives of heads of state in your name, confess multiple,
cross-gender and inter-generational infidelities to your spouse in
your name....you get the picture.

"We recommend that all customers who have downloaded the Exchange 2000
patch prior to June 12, 2001 install the updated version," MS says in
its most recent Exchange security bulletin.

Additionally, the original Exchange 2K patch and associated security
bulletin were issued before MS discovered that the vulnerability also
affects 5.5 (and probably older, unsupported versions which they
didn't bother to check).

Thus if you're running 5.5, you might have been led to believe last
week that your system isn't affected and promptly lost interest in
this little stuff-up -- but not to worry, there's a patch for you too;
and MS has every confidence that it won't have to be re-issued next
week.



ISN is hosted by SecurityFocus.com
---
To unsubscribe email isn-unsubscribe () SecurityFocus com.