Microsoft Security Advisory (2562937)

What kill bits does this Cumulative Security Update of ActiveX Kill Bits contain? 
This Cumulative Security Update of ActiveX Kill Bits contains new kill bits and all kill bits previously released in MS08-023, Security Update of ActiveX Kill Bits; MS08-032, Cumulative Security Update of ActiveX Kill Bits; MS09-032, Cumulative Security Update of ActiveX Kill Bits; MS09-055, Cumulative Security Update of ActiveX Kill Bits; MS10-008, Cumulative Security Update of ActiveX Kill Bits; MS10-034, Cumulative Security Update of ActiveX Kill Bits; MS11-027, Cumulative Security Update of ActiveX Kill Bits; and advisories entitled Update Rollup for ActiveX Kill Bits, Microsoft Security Advisory 953839, Microsoft Security Advisory 956391, Microsoft Security Advisory 960715, and Microsoft Security Advisory 969898.

What is a kill bit?
A security feature in Microsoft Internet Explorer makes it possible to prevent an ActiveX control from ever being loaded by the Internet Explorer HTML-rendering engine. This is done by making a registry setting and is referred to as setting the kill bit. After the kill bit is set, the control can never be loaded, even when it is fully installed. Setting the kill bit makes sure that even if a vulnerable component is introduced or is re-introduced to a system, it remains inert and harmless.

For more information on kill bits, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 240797: How to stop an ActiveX control from running in Internet Explorer.

What is a security update of ActiveX kill bits? 
A security update of ActiveX kill bits contains the class IDs (CLSID) of certain ActiveX controls that are the basis of the security update.

Why does this update not contain any binary files? 
This update only makes changes to the registry to disable the controls from instantiating in Internet Explorer.

Should I install this update if I do not have the affected component installed or use the affected platform? 
Yes. Installing this update will block the vulnerable control from running in Internet Explorer.

Do I need to reapply this update if I install an ActiveX control discussed in this security update at a later date? 
No, reapplying this update is not required. The kill bit will block Internet Explorer from running the control even if the control is installed at a later date.

Does this update contain any kill bits that are not Microsoft-specific? 
Yes. Microsoft has been requested by organizations to set the kill bit for controls that the organizations own and have found to be vulnerable. See the subsection, "Third-Party Kill Bits," in the Vulnerability Information section.

Does this update contain kill bits that were previously released in an Internet Explorer security update? 
No, this update does not include kill bits that were previously released in an Internet Explorer security update. We recommend that you install the latest Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer.

Why is Microsoft releasing this Update Rollup for ActiveX Kill Bits with a security advisory when previous kill bit updates were released with a security bulletin? 
Microsoft is releasing this Update Rollup for ActiveX Kill Bits with an advisory because the new kill bits do not affect Microsoft software.

Why does this advisory not have a security rating associated with it? 
This update contains new kill bits for third-party controls. Microsoft does not provide a security rating for vulnerable third-party controls.

This update includes kill bits to prevent the following ActiveX controls from being run in Internet Explorer:

• CheckPoint SSL VPN On-Demand applications. The following Class Identifier relates to a request by CheckPoint to set the kill bit for an ActiveX control that is vulnerable. Further details can be found in the advisory issued by CheckPoint. The class identifier (CLSID) for this ActiveX control is:
  • {B4CB50E4-0309-4906-86EA-10B6641C8392}
• ActBar. The following Class Identifier relates to a request by IBM to set the kill bit for this ActiveX control that is vulnerable. Further details can be found in the advisory issued by IBM. The class identifier (CLSID) for this ActiveX control is:
  • {E4F874A0-56ED-11D0-9C43-00A0C90F29FC}
• EBI R Web Toolkit. The following Class Identifier relates to a request by Honeywell to set the kill bit for this ActiveX control that is vulnerable. Further details can be found in the advisory issued by Honeywell. The class identifier (CLSID) for this ActiveX control is:
  • {FB7FE605-A832-11D1-88A8-0000E8D220A6}