Microsoft Windows Security Bulletin Summary for May, 2004

Included in this advisory are updates for the newly discovered vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows. These vulnerabilities, broken down by severity are:

Important

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS04-015 – Vulnerability in Help and Support Center Could Allow Remote Code Execution (840374)

Software Update Services:

By using Microsoft Software Update Services (SUS), administrators can quickly and reliably deploy the latest critical updates and security updates to Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003-based servers, and to desktop systems that are running Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional.

For information about how to deploy this security update with Software Update Services, visit the Software Update Services Web site.

Systems Management Server:

Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) delivers a highly-configurable enterprise solution for managing updates. By using SMS, administrators can identify Windows-based systems that require security updates and to perform controlled deployment of these updates throughout the enterprise with minimal disruption to end users. For more information about how administrators can use SMS 2003 to deploy security updates, see the SMS 2003 Security Patch Management Web site. SMS 2.0 users can also use Software Updates Service Feature Pack to help deploy security updates. For information about SMS, see the SMS Web Site.

Note SMS uses the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer and the Microsoft Office Detection Tool to provide broad support for security bulletin update detection and deployment. Some software updates may not be detected by these tools. Administrators can use the inventory capabilities of the SMS in these cases to target updates to specific systems. For more information about this procedure, see the following Web site. Some security updates require administrative rights following a restart of the system. Administrators can use the Elevated Rights Deployment Tool (available in the SMS 2003 Administration Feature Pack and in the SMS 2.0 Administration Feature Pack) to install these updates.

QChain.exe and Update.exe:

Microsoft has released a command-line tool named QChain.exe that gives system administrators the ability to safely chain security updates together. Chaining is when you install multiple updates without rebooting between each install. Update.exe, used in the updates described in this advisory, has chaining functionality built in. For customers using Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 or higher, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003, Qchain.exe is not required to chain these updates. Qchain.exe still supports chaining these Windows Updates so that an administrator can create a consistent deployment script across all platforms. For more information on Qchain, visit this Web site

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA):

The Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer allows administrators to scan local and remote systems for missing security updates as well as common security misconfigurations. More information about MBSA is available from the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer Web site.

Acknowledgments

Microsoft thanks the following for working with us to help protect customers:

• Donnie Werner of Exploitlabs.com for reporting an issue described in MS04-015.

Obtaining Other Security Updates:

Updates for other security issues are available from the following locations:

• Security updates are available from the Microsoft Download Center: You can find them most easily by doing a keyword search for "security_patch".
• Updates for consumer platforms are available from the Windows Update Web site.

Support:

• Customers in the U.S. and Canada can receive technical support from Microsoft Product Support Services at 1-866-PCSAFETY. There is no charge for support calls that are associated with security updates.
• International customers can receive support from their local Microsoft subsidiaries. There is no charge for support that is associated with security updates. For more information on how to contact Microsoft for support issues, visit the International Support Web site.

Security Resources:

• The Microsoft TechNet Security Web site provides additional information about security in Microsoft products.
• Microsoft Software Update Services
• Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA)
• Windows Update
• Windows Update Catalog: For more information about the Windows Update Catalog, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 323166.
• Office Update 

Disclaimer:

The information provided in the Microsoft Knowledge Base is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Microsoft disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall Microsoft Corporation or its suppliers be liable for any damages whatsoever including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, loss of business profits or special damages, even if Microsoft Corporation or its suppliers have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages so the foregoing limitation may not apply.

Revisions:

• V1.0 (May 11, 2004): Bulletin published
• V1.1 (May 11, 2004): Revised to reflect updates that are documented in MS04-015.