Security Bulletin

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS05-051 - Critical

Published: October 11, 2005 | Updated: October 25, 2005

Version: 1.2

Who should read this document: Customers who use Microsoft Windows

Impact of Vulnerability: Remote Code Execution

Maximum Severity Rating: Critical

Recommendation: Customers should apply the update immediately.

Security Update Replacement: This bulletin replaces several prior security updates. See the frequently asked questions (FAQ) section of this bulletin for the complete list.

Caveats: Systems that have been modified to non default Access Control List settings on the registration folder in the Windows directory may experience unexpected behavior. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 909444.

Tested Software and Security Update Download Locations:

Affected Software:

• Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 - Download the update
• Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 - Download the update
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition - Download the update
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 - Download the update
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems - Download the update
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition - Download the update

Non-Affected Software:

• Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition (SE), and Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (ME)

The software in this list has been tested to determine whether the versions are affected. Other versions either no longer include security update support or may not be affected. To determine the support life cycle for your product and version, visit the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Web site.

Executive Summary:

This update resolves several newly-discovered, privately-reported vulnerabilities. Each vulnerability is documented in this bulletin in its own "Vulnerability Details" section of this bulletin.

An attacker who successfully exploited the most severe of these vulnerabilities could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.

We recommend that Windows 2000 and Windows XP Service Pack 1 customers apply the update immediately. We recommend that customers using other operating system versions apply the update at the earliest opportunity.

Severity Ratings and Vulnerability Identifiers:

This assessment is based on the types of systems that are affected by the vulnerability, their typical deployment patterns, and the effect that exploiting the vulnerability would have on them.

Note The severity ratings for non-x86 operating system versions map to the x86 operating systems versions as follows:

• The Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition severity rating is the same as the Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 severity rating**.**
• The Microsoft Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems severity rating is the same as the Windows Server 2003 severity rating.
• The Microsoft Windows Server 2003 with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems severity rating is the same as the Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 severity rating.
• The Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition severity rating is the same as the Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 severity rating.

Why does this update address several reported security vulnerabilities?
This update contains support for several vulnerabilities because the modifications that are required to address these issues are located in related files. Instead of having to install several updates that are almost the same, customers can install only this update.

What updates does this release replace?
This security update replaces several prior security updates. The security bulletin IDs and affected operating systems are listed in the following table.

What are the known issues that customers may experience when they install this security update?
Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 909444 documents the currently known issues that customers may experience when they install this security update. The article also documents recommended solutions for these issues. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 909444.

Does this update contain any security-related changes to functionality?
Yes. Besides the changes that are listed in the "Vulnerability Details" section of this bulletin, this update includes the following changes in security functionality. These registry keys are documented in Microsoft Knowledge Based Article 908620

• The TIP protocol has been disabled on Windows 2000. To enable this protocol, set the value of the following registry entry to 1. If this registry entry does not exist, or if the value of this registry entry is set to 0, TIP is disabled. This is a new registry key on Windows 2000. You cannot directly disable TIP before you install this security update.

  HKLM\Software\Microsoft\MSDTC\Security\NetworkDtcAccessTip

• To help reduce the impact of future TIP related vulnerabilities, four additional registry values have been created.

  • DisableTipTmIdVerfication. If this registry entry does not exist, or if the value of this registry entry is set to 0, packets are blocked when the TM ID does not match the IP address of the sending computer. If the value of this registry entry is set to 1, packets are accepted from any IP address.

    HKLM\Software\Microsoft\MSDTC\DisableTipTmIdVerification

  • DisableTipTmIdPortVerification. If this registry entry does not exist, or if the value of this registry entry is set to 0, packets are blocked when they do not specify 3372 as the port. If the value of this registry entry is set to 1, packets are accepted from any port.

    HKLM\Software\Microsoft\MSDTC\DisableTipTmIdPortVerification

  • DisableTipBeginCheck. If this registry entry does not exist, or if the value of this registry entry is set to 0, TIP “BEGIN” commands are always blocked. If the value of this registry entry is set to 1, TIP “BEGIN” commands are always accepted.

    HKLM\Software\Microsoft\MSDTC\DisableTipBeginCheck

  • DisableTipPassThruCheck. If this registry entry does not exist, or if the value of this registry entry is set to 0, TIP “PULL” commands are rejected for transactions that were pushed to the computer and that did not perform any local work on the transaction. If the value of this registry entry is set to 1, TIP “PULL” commands are accepted for transactions that were pushed to the computer and that did not perform any local work on the transaction.

    HKLM\Software\Microsoft\MSDTC\DisableTipPassThruCheck

Note You do not have to restart the system after you modify these registry keys. However, you do have to restart the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC) service.

Extended security update support for Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Service Pack 6a and Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 ended on June 30, 2004. Extended security update support for Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 6a ended on December 31, 2004. Extended security update support for Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 ended on June 30, 2005. I’m still using one of these operating systems, what should I do?

Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Service Pack 6a, Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 6a, Windows 2000 Service Pack 2, and Windows 2000 Service Pack 3 have reached the end of their life cycles. It should be a priority for customers who have these operating system versions to migrate to supported versions to prevent potential exposure to vulnerabilities. For more information about the Windows Product Lifecycle, visit the following Microsoft Support Lifecycle Web site. For more information about the extended security update support period for these operating system versions, visit the Microsoft Product Support Services Web site.

Customers who require additional custom support for these products must contact their Microsoft account team representative, their Technical Account Manager, or the appropriate Microsoft partner representative for custom support options. Customers without an Alliance, Premier, or Authorized Contract can contact their local Microsoft sales office. For contact information, visit the Microsoft Worldwide Information Web site, select the country, and then click Go to see a list of telephone numbers. When you call, ask to speak with the local Premier Support sales manager.

For more information, see the Windows Operating System Product Support Lifecycle FAQ.

Security update support for Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Service Pack 1 (Itanium) and Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Version 2003 (Itanium) ended on June 30, 2005. I’m still using one of these operating systems, what should I do?

With the release of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Service Pack 1 (Itanium) and Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Version 2003 (Itanium) will no longer receive security update support. It should be a priority for customers who have these operating system versions to migrate to supported versions to prevent potential exposure to vulnerabilities. Microsoft will continue to fully support Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based systems, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, and Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions for 64-bit computing requirements. Microsoft continues to license and support Windows Server 2003 Enterprise and Datacenter editions for Itanium-based systems, and the 64-bit version of SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition. In the future we will expand Itanium support to Visual Studio 2005, .NET Framework 2005 and SQL Server 2005.

Customers who require additional assistance about this issue must contact their Microsoft account team representative, their Technical Account Manager, or the appropriate Microsoft partner representative for information about the available migration options. Customers without an Alliance, Premier, or Authorized Contract can contact their local Microsoft sales office. For contact information, visit the Microsoft Worldwide Information Web site, select the country, and then click Go to see a list of telephone numbers. When you call, ask to speak with the local Premier Support sales manager.

Can I use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) 1.2.1 to determine whether this update is required?

Yes. MBSA 1.2.1 will determine whether this update is required. For more information about MBSA, visit the MBSA Web site. Can I use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) 2.0 to determine whether this update is required? Yes. MBSA 2.0 will determine whether this update is required. MBSA 2.0 can detect security updates for products that Microsoft Update supports. For more information about MBSA, visit the MBSA Web site.

Can I use Systems Management Server (SMS) to determine whether this update is required?
Yes. SMS can help detect and deploy this security update. For information about SMS, visit the SMS Web site. The Security Update Inventory Tool can be used by SMS for detecting security updates that are offered by Windows Update, that are supported by Software Update Services, and other security updates that are supported by MBSA 1.2.1. For more information about the Security Update Inventory Tool, see the following Microsoft Web site. For more information about the limitations of the Security Update Inventory Tool, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 306460. The SMS 2003 Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates can be used by SMS for detecting security updates that are offered by Microsoft Update and that are supported by Windows Server Update Services. For more information about the SMS 2003 Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates, see the following Microsoft Web site.

A remote code execution and local elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator that could allow an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability to take complete control of the affected system.

• Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 systems are not vulnerable to this issue.
• By default, on Windows Server 2003, the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator is started, but it is not configured to support Network DTC Access. An attacker must have valid logon credentials and be able to log on locally to exploit this vulnerability. However, if an administrator has enabled support for Network DTC Access, Windows Server 2003 systems could be vulnerable to remote code execution attacks by anonymous users. For information about how to configure Network DTC Access, visit the following Microsoft Web site.
• By default, on Windows XP Service Pack 1 and Windows 2000 Professional, the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator is not started. This service must be running to enable the remote attack vector. An attacker must have valid logon credentials and be able to log on locally to exploit this vulnerability. However, any local user can start this service unless the service has been disabled by an administrator. As soon as this service is started, Windows XP Service Pack 1 systems could be vulnerable to remote code execution attacks by anonymous users. This is because on Windows XP Service Pack 1 systems, the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator service is configured to allow Network DTC Access. For information about how to configure Network DTC Access, visit the following Microsoft Web site.
• For customers who require the affected component, firewall best practices and standard default firewall configurations can help protect networks from attacks that originate outside the enterprise perimeter. Best practices recommend that systems that are connected to the Internet have a minimal number of ports exposed.

Microsoft has tested the following workarounds. While these workarounds will not correct the underlying vulnerability, they help block known attack vectors. When a workaround reduces functionality, it is identified in the following section.

• Disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator

  Disabling the Distributed Transaction Coordinator helps protect the affected system from attempts to exploit this vulnerability. To disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. Alternatively, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
  2. Double-click Administrative Tools.
  3. Double-click Component Services.
  4. Click Services.
  5. Double-click Distributed Transaction Coordinator.
  6. In the Startup type list, click Disabled.
  7. Click Stop, and then click OK.

  You can also stop and disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator by using the following command at the command prompt:

  sc stop MSDTC & sc config MSDTC start= disabled

  Impact of Workaround: If you disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator, you cannot use any service or application that is dependant on the Distributed Transaction Coordinator. This could include other applications such as SQL Server, BizTalk Server, Exchange Server, or Message Queuing. Also, this service is required in most clustering configurations. Therefore, we recommend this workaround only on systems that cannot install the security update.

• Use the Group Policy settings to disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator on all affected systems that do not require this feature.
  Because the Distributed Transaction Coordinator is a possible attack vector, disable it by using the Group Policy settings. You can disable the startup of this service at the local, site, domain, or organizational unit level by using Group Policy object functionality in Windows 2000 domain environments or in Windows Server 2003 domain environments. For more information about how to disable this service through logon scripts, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 297789

  Note You may also review the Windows 2000 Security Hardening Guide. This guide includes information about how to disable services.

  For more information about Group Policy, visit the following Web sites:

  • Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding the Group Policy Feature Set
  • Windows 2000 Group Policy
  • Group Policy in Windows Server 2003

  Impact of Workaround: If you disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator, you cannot use any service or application that is dependant on the Distributed Transaction Coordinator. This could include other applications such as SQL Server, BizTalk Server, Exchange Server, or Message Queuing. Also, this service is required in most clustering configurations. Therefore, we recommend this workaround only on systems that cannot install the security update.

• Disable Network DTC Access

  If you cannot install the security update, and you cannot disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator, you may want to disable Network DTC Access. This option is only available on Windows XP and later operating system versions. This still allows local transactions to complete, but it helps protect from network based attacks that try to exploit this issue. For information about how to configure Network DTC Access, visit the following Microsoft Web site. To disable Network DTC Access, follow these steps:

  Warning Performing this procedure causes the affected service to start if it was not started previously. Stop the MSDTC service on the MSDTC tab before you close the configuration dialog boxes.

  1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. Alternatively, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

  2. Double-click Administrative Tools.

  3. Double-Click Component Services, expand Component Services, expand Computers, right-click My Computer and then click Properties,

  4. Click the MSDTC tab, and then click Security Configuration.

  5. In the Security Configuration dialog box, click to clear the Network DTC Access check box.

     Note This sets the following DWORD registry entry to 0 on non-clustering environments. Clustering environments do not read the following registry key. For Clustering environments, follow the steps that are listed in the “Disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator” bullet point.

     HKLM\Software\Microsoft\MSDTC\Security\NetworkDtcAccess

     Note You can also apply this setting to multiple systems by using Group Policy. For more information about Group Policy, visit the following Microsoft Web site.

  6. Click OK, close the Component Services dialog box, and then close the Administrative Tools dialog box.

  Impact of Workaround: If you disable Network DTC Access, distributed transaction could fail. This could impact other applications such as SQL Server, BizTalk Server, or Message Queuing. Therefore, we recommend this workaround only on systems that cannot install the security update.

• Block the following at the firewall:

  • All unsolicited inbound traffic on ports greater than 1024
  • Any other specifically configured RPC port

  These ports can be used to initiate a connection with MSDTC. Blocking them at the firewall will help protect systems that are behind that firewall from attempts to exploit this vulnerability. Also, make sure that you block any other specifically-configured RPC port on the remote system. We recommend that you block all unsolicited inbound communication from the Internet to help prevent attacks that may use other ports. While RPC can use UDP ports 135, 137, 138, 445, and TCP ports 135, 139, 445, and 593, the MSDTC service is not vulnerable over those ports.

  Note Other protocols, such as Sequenced Packet Exchange (SPX) or NetBEUI, could be used to communicate with the MSDTC service. If you are using these protocols, you should block the appropriate ports for those protocols. For more information about IPX and SPX, visit the following Microsoft Web site.

• To help protect from network-based attempts to exploit this vulnerability, use a personal firewall, such as the Internet Connection Firewall, which is included with Windows XP and with Windows Server 2003.

  By default, the Internet Connection Firewall feature in Windows XP and in Windows Server 2003 helps protect your Internet connection by blocking unsolicited incoming traffic. We recommend that you block all unsolicited incoming communication from the Internet.

  To enable the Internet Connection Firewall feature by using the Network Setup Wizard, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
  2. In the default Category View, click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Setup or change your home or small office network. The Internet Connection Firewall feature is enabled when you select a configuration in the Network Setup Wizard that indicates that your system is connected directly to the Internet.

  To configure Internet Connection Firewall manually for a connection, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
  2. In the default Category View, click Networking and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections. (Windows Sever 2003 displays this as Network Connections)
  3. Right-click the connection on which you want to enable Internet Connection Firewall, and then click Properties.
  4. Click the Advanced tab.
  5. Under Windows Firewall, click Settings.
  6. Click On, and then click OK.
  7. Click the Exceptions tab. You may need to click Settings to display the exceptions tab.
  8. Verify that MSDTC.exe is not in the list of firewall exceptions, and then click OK.

  Note If you want to enable certain programs and services to communicate through the firewall, click Settings on the Advanced tab, and then select the programs, the protocols, and the services that are required.

• To help protect from network-based attempts to exploit this vulnerability, enable advanced TCP/IP filtering on systems that support this feature.

  You can enable advanced TCP/IP filtering to block all unsolicited inbound traffic. For more information about how to configure TCP/IP filtering, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 309798.

• To help protect from network-based attempts to exploit this vulnerability, block the affected ports by using IPsec on the affected systems.

  Use Internet Protocol security (IPsec) to help protect network communications. Detailed information about IPsec and about how to apply filters is available in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 313190 and Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 813878. RPC uses a broad range of ports, which may make it difficult to try to secure them all by using IPsec. Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 908472 documents how to restrict RPC communication to a set of fixed ports and how to secure those ports by using IPsec.

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
On Windows 2000 this is a remote code execution vulnerability. On Windows XP Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2003 this is a local privilege elevation vulnerability. On Windows XP Service Pack 1, this also becomes a remote code execution vulnerability if the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator is started. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.

What causes the vulnerability?
An unchecked buffer in the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator.

What is the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator?
The Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC) is a distributed transaction facility for Microsoft Windows platforms. MSDTC uses proven transaction processing technology. It is robust despite system failures, process failures, and communication failures; it exploits loosely coupled systems to provide scalable performance; and it is easy to install, configure, and manage. The DTC service provides the following benefits:

• Reduces the cost of enterprise computing. The DTC provides a sophisticated, low-cost distributed transaction facility for users of networked, commodity-priced PCs and servers.
• Simplifies application development. DTC transactions greatly simplify the application task of preserving consistency, despite failures that can occur when updating application data.
• Provides a consistent transaction model. The DTC supports a variety of resource managers, including relational databases, object-oriented databases, file systems, document storage systems, and message queues.
• Enables software development using distributed software components. The DTC provides a simple, object-oriented application programming interface for initiating and controlling transactions.

For information about MSDTC, visit the following Microsoft Web site.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of the affected system.

Who could exploit the vulnerability?
On Windows 2000, any anonymous user who could deliver a specially crafted network message to the affected system could try to exploit this vulnerability. On Windows XP Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2003, an attacker must be able to log on locally to a system and run a program to try to exploit the vulnerability. Windows XP Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2003 are not vulnerable to remote anonymous attack in default scenarios. User configuration is required on these operating system versions in order to create the possibility of remote attack. If attacked locally, an attacker could then run a specially-crafted application that could exploit the vulnerability and gain complete control over the affected system.

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Windows 2000 systems are primarily at risk from this vulnerability. On Windows XP Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2003, an attacker must have valid logon credentials to exploit this vulnerability unless user configuration has been performed that could allow remote anonymous attacks. On Windows Server 2003, if an administrator has enabled support for Network DTC Access, Windows Server 2003 systems could be vulnerable to remote code execution attacks by anonymous users. For information about how to configure Network DTC Access, visit the following Microsoft Web site. Administrators can use the registry key that is documented at the following Microsoft Web site to verify that Network DTC Access has not been enabled.

Could the vulnerability be exploited over the Internet?
On Windows 2000 an attacker could try to exploit this vulnerability over the Internet. Firewall best practices and standard default firewall configurations can help protect against attacks that originate from the Internet. Microsoft has provided information about how you can help protect your PC. End users can visit the Protect Your PC Web site. IT professionals can visit the Security Guidance Center Web site.

What does the update do?
The update removes the vulnerability by modifying the way that MSDTC validates the length of a message before it passes the message to the allocated buffer.

When this security bulletin was issued, had this vulnerability been publicly disclosed?
No. Microsoft received information about this vulnerability through responsible disclosure. Microsoft had not received any information to indicate that this vulnerability had been publicly disclosed when this security bulletin was originally issued.

When this security bulletin was issued, had Microsoft received any reports that this vulnerability was being exploited?
No. Microsoft had not received any information to indicate that this vulnerability had been publicly used to attack customers and had not seen any examples of proof of concept code published when this security bulletin was originally issued.

A remote code execution and local elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in COM+ that could allow an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability to take complete control of the affected system.

• On Windows XP Service Pack 2, on Windows Server 2003, and on Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 an attacker must have valid logon credentials and be able to log on locally to exploit this vulnerability. The vulnerability could not be exploited remotely unless the attacker already has administrative permissions.
• Firewall best practices and standard default firewall configurations can help protect networks from attacks that originate outside the enterprise perimeter. Best practices recommend that systems that are connected to the Internet have a minimal number of ports exposed.

Microsoft has tested the following workarounds. While these workarounds will not correct the underlying vulnerability, they help block known attack vectors. When a workaround reduces functionality, it is identified in the following section.

• Disable COM+
  Disabling COM+ helps protect the affected system from attempts to exploit this vulnerability. There are different ways to disable COM+, depending on which platform you are using.

  Important This bulletin contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure to back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 256986. Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

  • On Windows 2000, create a file that is named ~clbcatq.dll in the %windir%\system32 folder. These steps create a similar environment as the issue that is discussed in Microsoft Knowledge Based Article 246499. To disable COM+ on Windows 2000, follow these steps:

    1. Logon as an administrator.

    2. Click Start, and then click Run and then type:

       echo “Workaround for KB902400” >%windir%\system32\~clbcatq.dll

    3. Restart the system. Note To re-enable COM+, delete the ~clbcatq.dll file and restart the system.

  • To disable COM+ on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, create a registry key and restart the computer to disable COM+:

    On these operating system versions you can create a registry key and restart the machine to disable COM+.

    1. Click Start, click Run, type "regedt32" (without the quotation marks), and then click OK.

    2. In Registry Editor, locate the following registry key:

       HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\COM3

    3. Double-click the COM+Enabled registry entry, and then change the value to 0. Note Make a note of the current value so that you can reverse this procedure if required.

    4. Quit Registry Editor and restart the system.

    • Alternatively, you can paste the following text into a .reg file. Then, double-click the .reg file while you are logged on locally as an administrator:

      Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\COM3]"Com+Enabled"=dword:00000000

      Note You can also apply this setting to multiple systems by using Group Policy. For more information about Group Policy, visit the following Microsoft Web Site.

  Impact of Workaround: If you disable COM+, you cannot use any COM+ dependant applications. Customers should evaluate whether any business-critical applications rely on COM+ services before they deploy these workarounds. We recommend these workaround only on systems that cannot install the security update. For information about COM+, visit the following Microsoft Web site.

• Block the following at the firewall:

  • UDP ports 135, 137, 138, and 445, and TCP ports 135, 139, 445, and 593
  • If installed, COM Internet Services (CIS) or RPC over HTTP, which listen on ports 80 and 443

  These ports are used to initiate a connection with RPC. Blocking them at the firewall will help protect systems that are behind that firewall from attempts to exploit this vulnerability. Also, make sure that you block any other specifically configured RPC port on the remote system. We recommend that you block all unsolicited inbound communication from the Internet to help prevent attacks that may use other ports. For more information about ports that RPC uses, visit the following Web site. For more information about how to disable CIS, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 825819.

  Note Other protocols, such as Sequenced Packet Exchange (SPX) or NetBEUI, could be used to communicate with the MSDTC service. If you are using these protocols, you should block the appropriate ports for those protocols. For more information about IPX and SPX, visit the following Microsoft Web site.

• Disable DCOM Disabling DCOM helps protect the affected system from remote attempts to exploit this vulnerability. However, the affected system could still be vulnerable to local elevation of privilege attacks that try to exploit this vulnerability. For instructions on how to disable DCOM, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 825750.

  As an alternative to the steps that are documented In Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 825750, alternately you can paste the following text into a .reg file. Then, double-click the .reg file while you are logged on locally as an administrator:

  Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Ole]"EnableDCOM"="N"

  Note You can also apply this setting to multiple systems by using Group Policy. For more information about Group Policy, visit the following Microsoft Web Site.

  Impact of Workaround: If you disable DCOM, you cannot use any DCOM dependant applications. Customers should evaluate whether any business critical applications rely on DCOM services before you deploy this workaround. There are potentially many built-in components and third-party applications that are affected if you disable DCOM. We do not recommend that you disable DCOM in your environment until you have tested to discover what applications are affected. Disabling DCOM may not be possible in all environments. Therefore, we recommend this workaround only on systems that cannot install the security update. For information about disabling DCOM, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 825750.

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This is a remote code execution and local privilege elevation vulnerability. On Windows 2000 and Windows XP Service Pack 1, an anonymous attacker could remotely try to exploit this vulnerability. On Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, this is strictly a local privilege elevation vulnerability because only an administrator can remotely access the affected component. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.

What causes the vulnerability?
The process that COM+ uses to create and use memory structures.

What is COM+?
COM+ is the next step in the evolution of the Microsoft Component Object Model and Microsoft Transaction Server (MTS). COM+ handles resource management tasks, such as thread allocation and security. It automatically makes applications more scalable by providing thread pooling, object pooling, and just-in-time object activation. COM+ also helps protect the integrity of data by providing transaction support even if a transaction spans multiple databases over a network. For information about COM+, visit the following Microsoft Web site.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of the affected system.

Who could exploit the vulnerability?
On Windows 2000 and Windows XP Service Pack 1, an anonymous attacker could try to exploit the vulnerability by creating a specially crafted network message and sending the message to an affected system. The message could then cause the affected system to execute code. On Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, an attacker must be able to log on locally to a system to try to exploit the vulnerability. If an attacker logged on locally to a system, the attacker could then run a specially crafted application to gain administrative privileges to that system.

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Windows 2000 and Windows XP Service Pack 1 systems are primarily at risk from this vulnerability. The vulnerability could not be exploited remotely on Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1.

Could the vulnerability be exploited over the Internet?
Yes, by anonymous users on Windows 2000 and Windows XP Service Pack 1. Firewall best practices and standard default firewall configurations can help protect against attacks that originate from the Internet. Microsoft has provided information about how you can help protect your PC. End users can visit the Protect Your PC Web site. IT professionals can visit the Security Guidance Center Web site. On Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, an attacker must be able to log on to the specific system that is targeted for attack. An anonymous attacker cannot load and run a program remotely by using this vulnerability on these operating system versions.

What does the update do?
The update removes the vulnerability by modifying the way that COM+ creates and uses internal memory structures.

When this security bulletin was issued, had this vulnerability been publicly disclosed?
No. Microsoft received information about this vulnerability through responsible disclosure. Microsoft had not received any information to indicate that this vulnerability had been publicly disclosed when this security bulletin was originally issued.

When this security bulletin was issued, had Microsoft received any reports that this vulnerability was being exploited?
No. Microsoft had not received any information to indicate that this vulnerability had been publicly used to attack customers and had not seen any examples of proof of concept code published when this security bulletin was originally issued.

A denial of service vulnerability exists that could allow an attacker to send a specially crafted network message to an affected system. An attacker could cause the Distributed Transaction Coordinator to stop responding.

• This is a denial of service vulnerability. This issue would not allow an attacker to execute code or to elevate their user rights, but it could cause the affected service to stop accepting requests.
• On Windows XP Service Pack 1, Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, even if the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator is started, the TIP protocol is not enabled. An administrator must manually enable the TIP protocol for the Distributed Transaction Coordinator to become vulnerable to this issue.
• If the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator stops responding because of an attack, services that are not dependant on the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator would continue to function normally.
• For customers who require the affected component, firewall best practices and standard default firewall configurations can help protect networks from attacks that originate outside the enterprise perimeter. Best practices recommend that systems that are connected to the Internet have a minimal number of ports exposed.

Microsoft has tested the following workarounds. While these workarounds will not correct the underlying vulnerability, they help block known attack vectors. When a workaround reduces functionality, it is identified in the following section.

• Disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator

  Disabling the Distributed Transaction Coordinator helps protect the affected system from attempts to exploit this vulnerability. To disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. Alternatively, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
  2. Double-click Administrative Tools.
  3. Double-click Component Services.
  4. Click Services.
  5. Double-click Distributed Transaction Coordinator.
  6. In the Startup type list, click Disabled.
  7. Click Stop, and then click OK.

  You can also stop and disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator by using the following command at the command prompt:

  sc stop MSDTC & sc config MSDTC start= disabled

  Impact of Workaround: If you disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator, you cannot use any service or application that is dependant on the Distributed Transaction Coordinator. This could include other applications such as SQL Server, BizTalk Server, Exchange Server, or Message Queuing. Also, this service is required in most clustering configurations. Therefore, we recommend this workaround only on systems that cannot install the security update.

• Use the Group Policy settings to disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator on all affected systems that do not require this feature.
  Because the Distributed Transaction Coordinator is a possible attack vector, disable it by using the Group Policy settings. You can disable the startup of this service at the local, site, domain, or organizational unit level by using Group Policy object functionality in Windows 2000 domain environments or in Windows Server 2003 domain environments. For more information about how to disable this service through logon scripts, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 297789

  Note You may also review the Windows 2000 Security Hardening Guide. This guide includes information about how to disable services.

  For more information about Group Policy, visit the following Web sites:

  • Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding the Group Policy Feature Set
  • Windows 2000 Group Policy
  • Group Policy in Windows Server 2003

  Impact of Workaround: If you disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator, you cannot use any service or application that is dependant on the Distributed Transaction Coordinator. This could include other applications such as SQL Server, BizTalk Server, Exchange Server, or Message Queuing. Also, this service is required in most clustering configurations. Therefore, we recommend this workaround only on systems that cannot install the security update.

• Block TCP port 3372 at the firewall:

  This port is used to initiate a connection with TIP. Blocking it at the firewall will help protect systems that are behind that firewall from attempts to exploit this vulnerability. Also, make sure that you block any other specifically configured TIP ports on the remote system. We recommend that you block all unsolicited inbound communication from the Internet to help prevent attacks that may use other ports.

• To help protect from network-based attempts to exploit this vulnerability, enable advanced TCP/IP filtering on systems that support this feature.

  You can enable advanced TCP/IP filtering to block all unsolicited inbound traffic. For more information about how to configure TCP/IP filtering, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 309798.

• To help protect from network-based attempts to exploit this vulnerability, block the affected ports by using IPsec on the affected systems.

  Use Internet Protocol security (IPsec) to help protect network communications. Detailed information about IPsec and about how to apply filters is available in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 313190 and Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 813878.

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
A denial of service vulnerability exists that could allow an attacker to send a specially crafted network message to an affected system. An attacker could cause the Distributed Transaction Coordinator to stop responding. Note that the denial of service vulnerability would not allow an attacker to execute code or to elevate their user rights, but it could cause the affected system to stop accepting requests.

What causes the vulnerability?
The process that the Distributed Transaction Coordinator uses to validate TIP requests.

What is the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator?
The Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC) is a distributed transaction facility for Microsoft Windows platforms. MSDTC uses proven transaction processing technology. It is robust despite system failures, process failures, and communication failures; it exploits loosely coupled systems to provide scalable performance; and it is easy to install, configure, and manage. The DTC service provides the following benefits:

• Reduces the cost of enterprise computing. The DTC provides a sophisticated, low-cost distributed transaction facility for users of networked, commodity-priced PCs and servers.
• Simplifies application development. DTC transactions greatly simplify the application task of preserving consistency, despite failures that can occur when updating application data.
• Provides a consistent transaction model. The DTC supports a variety of resource managers, including relational databases, object-oriented databases, file systems, document storage systems, and message queues.
• Enables software development using distributed software components. The DTC provides a simple, object-oriented application programming interface for initiating and controlling transactions.

For information about MSDTC, visit the following Microsoft Web site.

What is TIP?
MSDTC supports Transaction Internet Protocol (TIP). TIP transactions implicitly assume a two-pipe architecture. In this architecture, messages that describe the work flow on one pipe, the application-to-application pipe, and messages that control the transaction flow on another pipe, the transaction manager-to-transaction manager pipe. MS DTC selects TIP when an application program or resource manager explicitly uses the TIP COM interfaces. MS DTC also uses TIP when TIP is the only communication protocol that is common to both platforms. TIP is typically used when MS DTC is used in conjunction with transaction managers from other companies. For more information about TIP, visit the following Microsoft Web site. TIP is an IETF standard, documented at the following IETF Web site. For more information about security considerations that are associated with TIP, visit the following Microsoft Web site.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could cause the affected service to stop responding.

Who could exploit the vulnerability?
When the TIP protocol is available, any anonymous user who could deliver a specially crafted network message to the affected system could try to exploit this vulnerability.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
An attacker could try to exploit the vulnerability by creating a specially crafted network message and sending the message to an affected system. The message could then cause the affected service to stop responding.

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Windows 2000 based versions of the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator are primarily at risk from this vulnerability because TIP is enabled by default. If TIP is manually enabled on other operating system versions, they would be equally vulnerable to this issue.

Could the vulnerability be exploited over the Internet?
Yes. An attacker could try to exploit this vulnerability over the Internet. Firewall best practices and standard default firewall configurations can help protect against attacks that originate from the Internet. Microsoft has provided information about how you can help protect your PC. End users can visit the Protect Your PC Web site. IT professionals can visit the Security Guidance Center Web site.

What does the update do?
The update removes the vulnerability by modifying the way that MSDTC validates TIP requests.

When this security bulletin was issued, had this vulnerability been publicly disclosed?
No. Microsoft received information about this vulnerability through responsible disclosure. Microsoft had not received any information to indicate that this vulnerability had been publicly disclosed when this security bulletin was originally issued.

When this security bulletin was issued, had Microsoft received any reports that this vulnerability was being exploited?
No. Microsoft had not received any information to indicate that this vulnerability had been publicly used to attack customers and had not seen any examples of proof of concept code published when this security bulletin was originally issued.

A denial of service vulnerability exists that could allow an attacker to send a specially crafted network message to an affected system. An attacker could cause the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC) to stop responding. This specially crafted message could also be transferred through the affected system to another TIP server. This distributed attack could cause the MSDTC on both systems to stop responding.

• This is a denial of service vulnerability. This issue would not allow an attacker to execute code or to elevate their user rights, but it could cause the affected services to stop accepting requests.
• On Windows XP Service Pack 1, Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1, even if the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator is started, the TIP protocol is not enabled. An administrator must manually enable the TIP protocol for the Distributed Transaction Coordinator to become vulnerable to this issue.
• If the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator stops responding because of an attack, services that are not dependant on the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator would continue to function normally.
• For customers who require the affected component, firewall best practices and standard default firewall configurations can help protect networks from attacks that originate outside the enterprise perimeter. Best practices recommend that systems that are connected to the Internet have a minimal number of ports exposed.

Microsoft has tested the following workarounds. While these workarounds will not correct the underlying vulnerability, they help block known attack vectors. When a workaround reduces functionality, it is identified in the following section.

• Disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator

  Disabling the Distributed Transaction Coordinator helps protect the affected system from attempts to exploit this vulnerability. To disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. Alternatively, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
  2. Double-click Administrative Tools.
  3. Double-click Component Services.
  4. Click Services.
  5. Double-click Distributed Transaction Coordinator.
  6. In the Startup type list, click Disabled.
  7. Click Stop, and then click OK.

  You can also stop and disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator by using the following command at the command prompt:

  sc stop MSDTC & sc config MSDTC start= disabled

  Impact of Workaround: If you disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator, you cannot use any service or application that is dependant on the Distributed Transaction Coordinator. This could include other applications such as SQL Server, BizTalk Server, Exchange Server, or Message Queuing. Also, this service is required in most clustering configurations. Therefore, we recommend this workaround only on systems that cannot install the security update.

• Use the Group Policy settings to disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator on all affected systems that do not require this feature.
  Because the Distributed Transaction Coordinator is a possible attack vector, disable it by using the Group Policy settings. You can disable the startup of this service at the local, site, domain, or organizational unit level by using Group Policy object functionality in Windows 2000 domain environments or in Windows Server 2003 domain environments. For more information about how to disable this service through logon scripts, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 297789

  Note You may also review the Windows 2000 Security Hardening Guide. This guide includes information about how to disable services.

  For more information about Group Policy, visit the following Web sites:

  • Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding the Group Policy Feature Set
  • Windows 2000 Group Policy
  • Group Policy in Windows Server 2003

  Impact of Workaround: If you disable the Distributed Transaction Coordinator, you cannot use any service or application that is dependant on the Distributed Transaction Coordinator. This could include other applications such as SQL Server, BizTalk Server, Exchange Server, or Message Queuing. Also, this service is required in most clustering configurations. Therefore, we recommend this workaround only on systems that cannot install the security update.

• Block TCP port 3372 at the firewall:

  This port is used to initiate a connection with TIP. Blocking it at the firewall will help protect systems that are behind that firewall from attempts to exploit this vulnerability. Also, make sure that you block any other specifically configured TIP ports on the remote system. We recommend that you block all unsolicited inbound communication from the Internet to help prevent attacks that may use other ports.

• To help protect from network-based attempts to exploit this vulnerability, enable advanced TCP/IP filtering on systems that support this feature.

  You can enable advanced TCP/IP filtering to block all unsolicited inbound traffic. For more information about how to configure TCP/IP filtering, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 309798.

• To help protect from network-based attempts to exploit this vulnerability, block the affected ports by using IPsec on the affected systems.

  Use Internet Protocol security (IPsec) to help protect network communications. Detailed information about IPsec and about how to apply filters is available in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 313190 and Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 813878.

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
A denial of service vulnerability exists that could allow an attacker to send a specially crafted network message to an affected system. An attacker could cause the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC) to stop responding. This specially crafted message could also be transferred through the affected system to another TIP server. This distributed attack could cause the MSDTC on both systems to stop responding. Note that the denial of service vulnerability would not allow an attacker to execute code or to elevate their user rights.

What causes the vulnerability?
The process that the Distributed Transaction Coordinator uses to validate TIP requests.

What is the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator?
The Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC) is a distributed transaction facility for Microsoft Windows platforms. MSDTC uses proven transaction processing technology. It is robust despite system failures, process failures, and communication failures; it exploits loosely coupled systems to provide scalable performance; and it is easy to install, configure, and manage. The DTC service provides the following benefits:

• Reduces the cost of enterprise computing. The DTC provides a sophisticated, low-cost distributed transaction facility for users of networked, commodity-priced PCs and servers.
• Simplifies application development. DTC transactions greatly simplify the application task of preserving consistency, despite failures that can occur when updating application data.
• Provides a consistent transaction model. The DTC supports a variety of resource managers, including relational databases, object-oriented databases, file systems, document storage systems, and message queues.
• Enables software development using distributed software components. The DTC provides a simple, object-oriented application programming interface for initiating and controlling transactions.

For information about MSDTC, visit the following Microsoft Web site.

What is TIP?
MSDTC supports Transaction Internet Protocol (TIP). TIP transactions implicitly assume a two-pipe architecture. In this architecture, messages that describe the work flow on one pipe, the application-to-application pipe, and messages that control the transaction flow on another pipe, the transaction manager-to-transaction manager pipe. MS DTC selects TIP when an application program or resource manager explicitly uses the TIP COM interfaces. MS DTC also uses TIP when TIP is the only communication protocol that is common to both platforms. TIP is typically used when MS DTC is used in conjunction with transaction managers from other companies. For more information about TIP, visit the following Microsoft Web site. TIP is an IETF standard, documented at the following IETF Web site. For more information about security considerations that are associated with TIP, visit the following Microsoft Web site.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could cause the affected service to stop responding on the affected systems. This specially crafted message could also be transferred through the affected system to another TIP server and cause that systems MSDTC to stop responding.

Who could exploit the vulnerability?
When the TIP protocol is available, any anonymous user who could deliver a specially crafted network message to the affected system could try to exploit this vulnerability.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
An attacker could try to exploit the vulnerability by creating a specially crafted network message and sending the message to an affected system.

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Windows 2000 based versions of the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator are primarily at risk from this vulnerability because TIP is enabled by default. If TIP is manually enabled on other operating system versions, they would be equally vulnerable to this issue.

Could the vulnerability be exploited over the Internet?
Yes. An attacker could try to exploit this vulnerability over the Internet. Firewall best practices and standard default firewall configurations can help protect against attacks that originate from the Internet. Microsoft has provided information about how you can help protect your PC. End users can visit the Protect Your PC Web site. IT professionals can visit the Security Guidance Center Web site.

What does the update do?
The update removes the vulnerability by modifying the way that MSDTC validates TIP requests.

When this security bulletin was issued, had this vulnerability been publicly disclosed?
No. Microsoft received information about this vulnerability through responsible disclosure. Microsoft had not received any information to indicate that this vulnerability had been publicly disclosed when this security bulletin was originally issued.

When this security bulletin was issued, had Microsoft received any reports that this vulnerability was being exploited?
No. Microsoft had not received any information to indicate that this vulnerability had been publicly used to attack customers and had not seen any examples of proof of concept code published when this security bulletin was originally issued.

Affected Software:

For information about the specific security update for your affected software, click the appropriate link:

Prerequisites
This security update requires Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1.

Inclusion in Future Service Packs:
The update for this issue will be included in future Service Pack or Update Rollup.

Installation Information

This security update supports the following setup switches.

Note You can combine these switches into one command. For backward compatibility, the security update also supports many of the setup switches that the earlier version of the Setup program uses. For more information about the supported installation switches, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 262841. For more information about the Update.exe installer, visit the Microsoft TechNet Web site.

Deployment Information

To install the security update without any user intervention, use the following command at a command prompt for Windows Server 2003:

Windowsserver2003-kb902400-x86-enu /quiet

Note Use of the /quiet switch will suppress all messages. This includes suppressing failure messages. Administrators should use one of the supported methods to verify the installation was successful when they use the /quiet switch. Administrators should also review the KB902400.log file for any failure messages when they use this switch.

To install the security update without forcing the system to restart, use the following command at a command prompt for Windows Server 2003:

Windowsserver2003-kb902400-x86-enu /norestart

For information about how to deploy this security update by using Software Update Services, visit the Software Update Services Web site. For more information about how to deploy this security update using Windows Server Update Services, visit the Windows Server Update Services Web site. This security update will also be available through the Microsoft Update Web site.

Restart Requirement

You must restart your system after you apply this security update.

Removal Information

To remove this update, use the Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel.

System administrators can also use the Spuninst.exe utility to remove this security update. The Spuninst.exe utility is located in the %Windir%\$NTUninstallKB902400$\Spuninst folder.

File Information

The English version of this security update has the file attributes that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Windows Server 2003, Web Edition; Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition; Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition; Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition; Windows Small Business Server 2003; Windows Server 2003, Web Edition with SP1; Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition with SP1; Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition with SP1; and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition with SP1:

Windows Server, 2003 Enterprise Edition for Itanium-based Systems; Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition for Itanium-based Systems; Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems; and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems:

Windows Server 2003, Standard x64 Edition; Windows Server 2003, Enterprise x64 Edition; and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter x64 Edition:

Notes When you install these security updates, the installer checks to see if one or more of the files that are being updated on your system have previously been updated by a Microsoft hotfix. If you have previously installed a hotfix to update one of these files, the installer copies the RTMQFE, SP1QFE, or SP2QFE files to your system. Otherwise, the installer copies the RTMGDR, SP1GDR, or SP2GDR files to your system. Security updates may not contain all variations of these files. For more information about this behavior, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 824994.

For more information about this behavior, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 824994.

For more information about the Update.exe installer, visit the Microsoft TechNet Web site.

For more information about the terminology that appears in this bulletin, such as hotfix, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 824684.

Arpidfix.exe is used by the security update installer to address an issue documented in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 904630. This file is not installed onto the affected system.

Verifying that the Update Has Been Applied

• Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

  To verify that a security update has been applied to an affected system, you can use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) tool. MBSA allows administrators to scan local and remote systems for missing security updates and for common security misconfigurations. For more information about MBSA, visit the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer Web site.

• File Version Verification

  Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

  1. Click Start, and then click Search.
  2. In the Search Results pane, click All files and folders under Search Companion.
  3. In the All or part of the file name box, type a file name from the appropriate file information table, and then click Search.
  4. In the list of files, right-click a file name from the appropriate file information table, and then click Properties. Note Depending on the version of the operating system or programs installed, some of the files that are listed in the file information table may not be installed.
  5. On the Version tab, determine the version of the file that is installed on your computer by comparing it to the version that is documented in the appropriate file information table. Note Attributes other than the file version may change during installation. Comparing other file attributes to the information in the file information table is not a supported method of verifying that the update has been applied. Also, in certain cases, files may be renamed during installation. If the file or version information is not present, use one of the other available methods to verify update installation.

• Registry Key Verification

  You may also be able to verify the files that this security update has installed by reviewing the following registry keys.

  Windows Server 2003, Web Edition; Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition; Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition; Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition; Windows Small Business Server 2003; Windows Server 2003, Web Edition with SP1; Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition with SP1; Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition with SP1; Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition with SP1; Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition for Itanium-based Systems; Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition for Itanium-based Systems; Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems; Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems; Windows Server 2003, Standard x64 Edition; Windows Server 2003, Enterprise x64 Edition; and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter x64 Edition:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\Windows Server 2003\SP2\KB902400\Filelist

  Note This registry key may not contain a complete list of installed files. Also, this registry key may not be created correctly if an administrator or an OEM integrates or slipstreams the 902400 security update into the Windows installation source files.

Prerequisites
This security update requires Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 or a later version. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 322389.

Inclusion in Future Service Packs:
The update for this issue will be included in a future Service Pack or Update Rollup.

Installation Information

This security update supports the following setup switches.

Note You can combine these switches into one command. For backward compatibility, the security update also supports the setup switches that the earlier version of the Setup program uses. For more information about the supported installation switches, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 262841. For more information about the Update.exe installer, visit the Microsoft TechNet Web site.

Deployment Information

To install the security update without any user intervention, use the following command at a command prompt for Microsoft Windows XP:

Windowsxp-kb902400-x86-enu /quiet

Note Use of the /quiet switch will suppress all messages. This includes suppressing failure messages. Administrators should use one of the supported methods to verify the installation was successful when they use the /quiet switch. Administrators should also review the KB902400.log file for any failure messages when they use this switch.

To install the security update without forcing the system to restart, use the following command at a command prompt for Windows XP:

Windowsxp-kb902400-x86-enu /norestart

For information about how to deploy this security update by using Software Update Services, visit the Software Update Services Web site. For more information about how to deploy this security update using Windows Server Update Services, visit the Windows Server Update Services Web site. This security update will also be available through the Microsoft Update Web site.

Restart Requirement

You must restart your system after you apply this security update.

Removal Information

To remove this security update, use the Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel.

System administrators can also use the Spuninst.exe utility to remove this security update. The Spuninst.exe utility is located in the %Windir%\$NTUninstallKB902400$\Spuninst folder.

File Information

The English version of this security update has the file attributes that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 1, Windows XP Professional Service Pack 1, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2, Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, and Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005:

Windows XP Professional x64:

Notes When you install these security updates, the installer checks to see if one or more of the files that are being updated on your system have previously been updated by a Microsoft hotfix. If you have previously installed a hotfix to update one of these files, the installer copies the RTMQFE, SP1QFE, or SP2QFE files to your system. Otherwise, the installer copies the RTMGDR, SP1GDR, or SP2GDR files to your system. Security updates may not contain all variations of these files. For more information about this behavior, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 824994.

For more information about the Update.exe installer, visit the Microsoft TechNet Web site.

For more information about the terminology that appears in this bulletin, such as hotfix, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 824684.

Arpidfix.exe is used by the security update installer to address an issue documented in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 904630. This file is not installed onto the affected system.

Verifying that the Update Has Been Applied

• Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

  To verify that a security update has been applied to an affected system, you can use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) tool. MBSA allows administrators to scan local and remote systems for missing security updates and for common security misconfigurations. For more information about MBSA, visit the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer Web site.

• File Version Verification

  Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

  1. Click Start, and then click Search.
  2. In the Search Results pane, click All files and folders under Search Companion.
  3. In the All or part of the file name box, type a file name from the appropriate file information table, and then click Search.
  4. In the list of files, right-click a file name from the appropriate file information table, and then click Properties. Note Depending on the version of the operating system or programs installed, some of the files that are listed in the file information table may not be installed.
  5. On the Version tab, determine the version of the file that is installed on your computer by comparing it to the version that is documented in the appropriate file information table. Note Attributes other than the file version may change during installation. Comparing other file attributes to the information in the file information table is not a supported method of verifying that the update has been applied. Also, in certain cases, files may be renamed during installation. If the file or version information is not present, use one of the other available methods to verify update installation.

• Registry Key Verification

  You may also be able to verify the files that this security update has installed by reviewing the following registry keys.

  For Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 1, Windows XP Professional Service Pack 1, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2, Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, and Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\Windows XP\SP3\KB902400\Filelist

  For Windows XP Professional x64 Edition:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\Windows XP Version 2003\SP2\KB902400\Filelist

  Note These registry keys may not contain a complete list of installed files. Also, these registry keys may not be created correctly if an administrator or an OEM integrates or slipstreams the 902400 security update into the Windows installation source files.

Prerequisites
For Windows 2000, this security update requires Service Pack 4 (SP4). For Small Business Server 2000, this security update requires Small Business Server 2000 Service Pack 1a (SP1a) or Small Business Server 2000 running with Windows 2000 Server Service Pack 4 (SP4).

The software that is listed has been tested to determine whether the versions are affected. Other versions either no longer include security update support or may not be affected. To determine the support life cycle for your product and version, visit the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Web site.

For more information about how to obtain the latest service pack, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 260910.

Inclusion in Future Service Packs:
The update for this issue may be included in a future Update Rollup.

Installation Information

This security update supports the following setup switches.

Note You can combine these switches into one command. For backward compatibility, the security update also supports the setup switches that the earlier version of the Setup program uses. For more information about the supported installation switches, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 262841. For more information about the Update.exe installer, visit the Microsoft TechNet Web site. For more information about the terminology that appears in this bulletin, such as hotfix, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 824684.

Deployment Information

To install the security update without any user intervention, use the following command at a command prompt for Windows 2000 Service Pack 4:

Windows2000-kb902400-x86-enu /quiet

Note Use of the /quiet switch will suppress all messages. This includes suppressing failure messages. Administrators should use one of the supported methods to verify the installation was successful when they use the /quiet switch. Administrators should also review the KB902400.log file for any failure messages when they use this switch.

To install the security update without forcing the system to restart, use the following command at a command prompt for Windows 2000 Service Pack 4:

Windows2000-kb902400-x86-enu /norestart

For more information about how to deploy this security update with Software Update Services, visit the Software Update Services Web site. For more information about how to deploy this security update using Windows Server Update Services, visit the Windows Server Update Services Web site. This security update will also be available through the Microsoft Update Web site.

Restart Requirement

You must restart your system after you apply this security update.

Removal Information

To remove this security update, use the Add or Remove Programs tool in Control Panel.

System administrators can also use the Spuninst.exe utility to remove this security update. The Spuninst.exe utility is located in the %Windir%\$NTUninstallKB902400$\Spuninst folder.

File Information

The English version of this security update has the file attributes that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 and Small Business Server 2000:

Verifying that the Update Has Been Applied

• Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

  To verify that a security update has been applied to an affected system, you can use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) tool. MBSA allows administrators to scan local and remote systems for missing security updates and for common security misconfigurations. For more information about MBSA, visit the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer Web site.

• File Version Verification

  Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

  1. Click Start, and then click Search.
  2. In the Search Results pane, click All files and folders under Search Companion.
  3. In the All or part of the file name box, type a file name from the appropriate file information table, and then click Search.
  4. In the list of files, right-click a file name from the appropriate file information table, and then click Properties. Note Depending on the version of the operating system or programs installed, some of the files that are listed in the file information table may not be installed.
  5. On the Version tab, determine the version of the file that is installed on your computer by comparing it to the version that is documented in the appropriate file information table. Note Attributes other than the file version may change during installation. Comparing other file attributes to the information in the file information table is not a supported method of verifying that the update has been applied. Also, in certain cases, files may be renamed during installation. If the file or version information is not present, use one of the other available methods to verify update installation.

• Registry Key Verification

  You may also be able to verify the files that this security update has installed by reviewing the following registry key:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\Windows 2000\SP5\KB902400\Filelist

  Note This registry key may not contain a complete list of installed files. Also, this registry key may not be created correctly when an administrator or an OEM integrates or slipstreams the 902400 security update into the Windows installation source files.

Acknowledgments

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

• eEye Digital Security for reporting the MSDTC Vulnerability (CAN-2005-2119).
• Cesar Cerrudo of Argeniss for reporting the COM+ Vulnerability (CAN-2005-1978).
• iDefense for reporting the TIP Vulnerability (CAN-2005-1979) and the Distributed TIP Vulnerability (CAN-2005-1980).

Obtaining Other Security Updates:

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

• Security updates are available in the Microsoft Download Center. You can find them most easily by doing a keyword search for "security_patch."
• Updates for consumer platforms are available at the Microsoft 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 about 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 Windows Server Update Services
• Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA)
• Windows Update
• Microsoft Update
• Windows Update Catalog: For more information about the Windows Update Catalog, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 323166.
• Office Update

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 more information about how to deploy security updates by using Software Update Services, visit the Software Update Services Web site.

Windows Server Update Services:

By using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), administrators can quickly and reliably deploy the latest critical updates and security updates for Windows 2000 operating systems and later, Office XP and later, Exchange Server 2003, and SQL Server 2000 onto Windows 2000 and later operating systems.

For more information about how to deploy security updates using Windows Server Update Services, visit the Windows Server 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 can 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, visit 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, visit the SMS Web site.

Note SMS uses the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer, the Microsoft Office Detection Tool, and the Enterprise Update Scanning 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, visit 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.

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 (October 11, 2005): Bulletin published.
• V1.1 (October 14, 2005): Bulletin revised to advise customers of the availability of Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 909444 which describes a potential issue which may be encountered after installing this update.
• V1.2 October 25, 2005): Security update replacement revised for MS04-012 on Microsoft Windows 2000. Additionally, mitigating factors for MSDTC Vulnerability (CAN-2005-2119) have been updated to advise customers that that the Microsoft Distributed Transaction Coordinator is not started by default on Windows 2000 Professional.

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