Microsoft Windows Security Bulletin Summary for November, 2003

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

Critical

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-048 - Cumulative Update for Internet Explorer (824145)

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-049 - Buffer Overrun in the Workstation Service Could Allow Code Execution (828749)

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS03-051 - Buffer Overrun in Microsoft FrontPage Server Extensions Could Allow Code Execution (813360)

Software Update Services (SUS):

Microsoft Software Update Services (SUS) enables administrators to quickly and reliably deploy the latest critical updates and security updates to Windows® 2000 and Windows Server™ 2003-based servers, as well as to desktop computers running Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional.

For information about how to deploy this security patch with Software Update Services, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/sus/

Systems Management Server (SMS):

Systems Management Server can provide assistance deploying this security update. For information about Systems Management Server visit the SMS Web Site. SMS also provides several additional tools to assist administrators in the deployment of security updates such as the SMS 2.0 Software Update Services Feature Pack and the SMS 2.0 Administration Feature Pack. The SMS 2.0 Software Update Services Feature Pack utilizes the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer and the Microsoft Office Detection Tool to provide broad support for security bulletin remediation. Some software updates may require administrative rights following a restart of the computer.

Note: The inventory capabilities of the SMS 2.0 Software Update Services Feature Pack may be used for targeting updates to specific computers, and the SMS 2.0 Administration Feature Pack's Elevated Rights Deployment Tool can be used for installation. This provides optimal deployment for updates that require explicit targeting using Systems Management Server and administrative rights after the computer has been restarted.

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. However, Qchain.exe still supports chaining these Windows Updates so that an administrator can create a consistent deployment script across all platforms. Please follow this link to download or view more information on QChain.

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA): 

The Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer allows administrators to scan local and remote systems for missing security patches as well as common security misconfigurations. More information on MBSA is available at: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/tools/mbsahome.mspx

Acknowledgments

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

• jelmer for reporting the XML Object issue described in MS03-048.
• eEye Digital Security for reporting the issue described in MS03-049.
• Brett Moore of Security-Assessment.com for reporting the issue in MS03-051.

Support:

• Technical support is available from Microsoft Product Support Services at 1-866-PCSAFETY. There is no charge for support calls associated with security patches.
• International customers can get support from their local Microsoft subsidiaries. There is no charge for support associated with security updates. Information on how to contact Microsoft support is available at http://support.microsoft.com/common/international.aspx

Security Resources:

• The Microsoft TechNet Security Web Site provides additional information about security in Microsoft products.
• Microsoft Software Update Services: http://www.microsoft.com/sus/ 
• Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) details: http://www.microsoft.com/mbsa. Please see http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;306460 for list of security patches that have detection limitations with MBSA tool.
• Windows Update Catalog: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;323166 
• Windows Update: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com 
• Office Update: http://office.microsoft.com/officeupdate/

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 November 11, 2003: First Published.
• V1.1 November 12, 2003: Updated information on what actions an attacker could take if they were to successfully exploit this vulnerability in MS03-051.
• V1.2 November 14, 2003: Updated information on affected versions of Microsoft Office, updated information in the workarounds section in MS03-051 and updated the File Manifest and Restart Requirement sections in MS03-049.
• V1.3 November 19, 2003: Updated Information Relating to the Windows XP Security Update in MS 03-049.
• V1.4 November 19, 2003: Updated information on setup switches in the Security Update Information section and corrected text in Severity Rating section for SharePoint Team Services 2002 in MS03-051.
• V1.5 December 10, 2003: Updated the FAQ section to reflect a new Windows Update offering on Windows XP in MS03-051.
• V1.6 December 11, 2003: Updated the Windows 2003 Install switches in the Security Update Information section in MS03-048.
• V1.7 January 13, 2004: Added a FAQ about FrontPage Server Extensions and Service Pack 4 for Windows 2000. Updated file version in the FrontPage Server Extensions 2002 section. Corrected setup switches in the FrontPage Server Extensions stand-alone and Windows 2000 section in MS03-051.
• V1.8 February 4, 2004: Updated the Outlook mitigations in the Technical Details section in MS03-048.
• V2.0 February 10, 2004: Updated to reflect that MS03-051 also affects Office 2000 Server Extensions and Windows XP 64-bit Edition.
• V2.1 April 9, 2004: Added Prerequisites Internet Explorer 6 for Windows Server 2003 /Windows XP 64-bit Edition, Version 2003 to the Security Update section in MS03-048.
• V2.2 June 16, 2004: Updated information in Summary Bulletin about Update Management Strategies.