Security Bulletin

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS13-093 - Important

Vulnerability in Windows Ancillary Function Driver Could Allow Information Disclosure (2875783)

Published: November 12, 2013

Version: 1.0

General Information

Executive Summary

This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerability could allow information disclosure if an attacker logs on to an affected system as a local user, and runs a specially crafted application on the system that is designed to enable the attacker to obtain information from a higher-privileged account. An attacker must have valid logon credentials and be able to log on locally to exploit this vulnerability.

This security update is rated Important for all supported 64-bit editions of Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2012.

The security update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how Windows copies data from kernel memory to user memory. For more information about the vulnerability, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) subsection for the specific vulnerability entry under the next section, Vulnerability Information.

Recommendation. Most customers have automatic updating enabled and will not need to take any action because this security update will be downloaded and installed automatically. Customers who have not enabled automatic updating need to check for updates and install this update manually. For information about specific configuration options in automatic updating, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 294871.

For administrators and enterprise installations, or end users who want to install this security update manually, Microsoft recommends that customers apply the update at the earliest opportunity using update management software, or by checking for updates using the Microsoft Update service.

See also the section, Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance, later in this bulletin.

Knowledge Base Article

Knowledge Base Article 2875783
File information Yes
SHA1/SHA2 hashes Yes
Known issues None

Affected and Non-Affected Software

The following software has been tested to determine which versions or editions are affected. Other versions or editions are either past their support life cycle or are not affected. To determine the support life cycle for your software version or edition, see Microsoft Support Lifecycle.

Affected Software 

Operating System Maximum Security Impact Aggregate Severity Rating Updates Replaced
Windows XP
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 2 (2875783) Information Disclosure Important 2645640 in MS12-009
Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition Service Pack 2 (2875783) Information Disclosure Important 2645640 in MS12-009
Windows Server 2003 with SP2 for Itanium-based Systems (2875783) Information Disclosure Important 2645640 in MS12-009
Windows Vista
Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 2 (2875783) Information Disclosure Important 2645640 in MS12-009
Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 (2875783) Information Disclosure Important 2645640 in MS12-009
Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems Service Pack 2 (2875783) Information Disclosure Important 2645640 in MS12-009
Windows 7
Windows 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (2875783) Information Disclosure Important 2645640 in MS12-009
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (2875783) Information Disclosure Important 2645640 in MS12-009
Windows Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-based Systems Service Pack 1 (2875783) Information Disclosure Important 2645640 in MS12-009
Windows 8
Windows 8 for x64-based Systems (2875783) Information Disclosure Important None
Windows Server 2012
Windows Server 2012 (2875783) Information Disclosure Important None
Server Core installation option
Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation) (2875783) Information Disclosure Important 2645640 in MS12-009
Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (Server Core installation) (2875783) Information Disclosure Important 2645640 in MS12-009
Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation) (2875783) Information Disclosure Important None

Non-Affected Software

Operating System
Windows XP Service Pack 3
Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (x86-based editions only)
Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (x86-based editions only)
Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2
Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation)
Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1
Windows 8 for 32-bit Systems
Windows 8.1 for 32-bit Systems
Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems
Windows Server 2012 R2
Windows RT
Windows RT 8.1

Update FAQ

Are Windows 8.1 Preview and Windows Server 2012 R2 Preview affected by the vulnerability addressed in this bulletin?
Yes. Although the RTM editions of Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems and Windows Server 2012 R2 are not affected by the vulnerability addressed in this bulletin, the x64-based Preview editions are affected. Therefore, customers running Windows 8.1 Preview for x64-based Systems or Windows Server 2012 R2 Preview are encouraged to apply the 2875783 update to their systems. The update is available on Windows Update.

I am using an older release of the software discussed in this security bulletin. What should I do?
The affected software listed in this bulletin has been tested to determine which releases are affected. Other releases are past their support life cycle. For more information about the product lifecycle, see the Microsoft Support Lifecycle website.

It should be a priority for customers who have older releases of the software to migrate to supported releases to prevent potential exposure to vulnerabilities. To determine the support lifecycle for your software release, see Select a Product for Lifecycle Information. For more information about service packs for these software releases, see Service Pack Lifecycle Support Policy.

Customers who require custom support for older software 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, see the Microsoft Worldwide Information website, select the country in the Contact Information list, 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 Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy FAQ.

Vulnerability Information

Severity Ratings and Vulnerability Identifiers

The following severity ratings assume the potential maximum impact of the vulnerability. For information regarding the likelihood, within 30 days of this security bulletin's release, of the exploitability of the vulnerability in relation to its severity rating and security impact, please see the Exploitability Index in the November bulletin summary. For more information, see Microsoft Exploitability Index.

Affected Software Ancillary Function Driver Information Disclosure Vulnerability - CVE-2013-3887 Aggregate Severity Rating
Windows XP
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 2 (2875783) Important  Information Disclosure Important
Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition Service Pack 2 (2875783) Important  Information Disclosure Important
Windows Server 2003 with SP2 for Itanium-based Systems (2875783) Important  Information Disclosure Important
Windows Vista
Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 2 (2875783) Important  Information Disclosure Important
Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 (2875783) Important  Information Disclosure Important
Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems Service Pack 2 (2875783) Important  Information Disclosure Important
Windows 7
Windows 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (2875783) Important  Information Disclosure Important
Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (2875783) Important  Information Disclosure Important
Windows Server 2008 R2 for Itanium-based Systems Service Pack 1 (2875783) Important  Information Disclosure Important
Windows 8
Windows 8 for x64-based Systems (2875783) Important  Information Disclosure Important
Windows Server 2012
Windows Server 2012 (2875783) Important  Information Disclosure Important
Server Core installation option
Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation) (2875783) Important  Information Disclosure Important
Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (Server Core installation) (2875783) Important  Information Disclosure Important
Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation) (2875783) Important  Information Disclosure Important

Ancillary Function Driver Information Disclosure Vulnerability - CVE-2013-3887

An information disclosure vulnerability exists when the Windows kernel-mode driver improperly handles copying data between kernel and user memory.

To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, see CVE-2013-3887.

Mitigating Factors

Mitigation refers to a setting, common configuration, or general best-practice, existing in a default state, that could reduce the severity of exploitation of a vulnerability. The following mitigating factors may be helpful in your situation:

  • An attacker must have valid logon credentials and be able to log on locally to exploit this vulnerability.

Workarounds

Workaround refers to a setting or configuration change that does not correct the underlying vulnerability but would help block known attack vectors before you apply the update. Microsoft has tested the following workarounds and states in the discussion whether a workaround reduces functionality:

  • Do not open executables from untrusted sources

    Do not open executables that you receive from untrusted sources or that you receive unexpectedly from trusted sources. This vulnerability could be exploited when a user opens a specially crafted file.

FAQ

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This is an information disclosure vulnerability.

What causes the vulnerability?
The vulnerability is caused when Windows permits excess data to be copied from kernel memory to user memory.

What is the Windows kernel?
The Windows kernel is the core of the operating system. It provides system-level services such as device management and memory management, allocates processor time to processes, and manages error handling.

What is the Ancillary Function Driver (AFD)?
The AFD component provides the "ancillary function driver," which supports Windows sockets applications and is contained in the afd.sys file. The afd.sys driver runs in kernel mode and manages the Winsock TCP/IP communications protocol. This Winsock Kernel Interface provides access to the TDI transports.

What is the Transport Driver Interface (TDI)?
The Transport Driver Interface (TDI) defines a kernel-mode network interface that is exposed at the upper edge of all transport protocol stacks. The highest level protocol driver in every such stack supports the TDI interface for still higher level kernel-mode network clients. For more information about the TDI Component, see the MSDN article, Transport Driver Interface.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could disclose information from kernel memory on the local system. Note that this vulnerability would not allow an attacker to execute code or to elevate their user rights directly, but it could be used to produce information that could be used to try to further compromise the affected system.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
To exploit this vulnerability an attacker would have to log on to an affected system as a local user and run a specially crafted application that is designed to enable the attacker to obtain information from a higher-privileged account.

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Itanium- and x64-based workstations and terminal servers are primarily at risk. Servers could be at more risk if administrators allow users to log on to servers and to run programs. However, best practices strongly discourage allowing this.

What does the update do?
The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how Windows copies data from kernel memory to user memory.

When this security bulletin was issued, had this vulnerability been publicly disclosed?
No. Microsoft received information about this vulnerability through coordinated vulnerability disclosure.

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 when this security bulletin was originally issued.

Update Information

Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance

Several resources are available to help administrators deploy security updates. 

  • Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) lets administrators scan local and remote systems for missing security updates and common security misconfigurations. 
  • Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), Systems Management Server (SMS), and System Center Configuration Manager help administrators distribute security updates. 
  • The Update Compatibility Evaluator components included with Application Compatibility Toolkit aid in streamlining the testing and validation of Windows updates against installed applications. 

For information about these and other tools that are available, see Security Tools for IT Pros

Security Update Deployment

Affected Software

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

Windows XP (all editions)

Reference Table

The following table contains the security update information for this software.

Security update file names For Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 2:\ WindowsServer2003.WindowsXP-KB2875783-x64-ENU.exe
Installation switches See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 262841
Update log file KB2875783.log
Restart requirement Yes, you must restart your system after you apply this security update.
Removal information Use Add or Remove Programs item in Control Panel or the Spuninst.exe utility located in the %Windir%$NTUninstallKB2875783$\Spuninst folder
File information See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 2875783
Registry key verification HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\Windows XP Version 2003\SP3\KB2875783\Filelist

Note The update for supported versions of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition also applies to supported versions of Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition.

Windows Server 2003 (all editions)

Reference Table

The following table contains the security update information for this software.

Security update file names For all supported x64-based editions of Windows Server 2003:\ WindowsServer2003.WindowsXP-KB2875783-x64-ENU.exe
For all supported Itanium-based editions of Windows Server 2003:\ WindowsServer2003-KB2875783-ia64-ENU.exe
Installation switches See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 262841
Update log file KB2875783.log
Restart requirement Yes, you must restart your system after you apply this security update.
Removal information Use Add or Remove Programs item in Control Panel or the Spuninst.exe utility located in the %Windir%$NTUninstallKB2875783$\Spuninst folder
File information See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 2875783
Registry key verification HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\Windows Server 2003\SP3\KB2875783\Filelist

Note The update for supported versions of Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition also applies to supported versions of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.

Windows Vista (all editions)

Reference Table

The following table contains the security update information for this software.

Security update file names For all supported x64-based editions of Windows Vista:\ Windows6.0-KB2875783-x64.msu
Installation switches See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 934307
Restart requirement Yes, you must restart your system after you apply this security update.
Removal information WUSA.exe does not support uninstall of updates. To uninstall an update installed by WUSA, click Control Panel, and then click Security. Under Windows Update, click View installed updates and select from the list of updates.
File information See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 2875783
Registry key verification Note A registry key does not exist to validate the presence of this update.

Windows Server 2008 (all editions)

Reference Table

The following table contains the security update information for this software.

Security update file names For all supported x64-based editions of Windows Server 2008:\ Windows6.0-KB2875783-x64.msu
For all supported Itanium-based editions of Windows Server 2008:\ Windows6.0-KB2875783-ia64.msu
Installation switches See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 934307
Restart requirement Yes, you must restart your system after you apply this security update.
Removal information WUSA.exe does not support uninstall of updates. To uninstall an update installed by WUSA, click Control Panel, and then click Security. Under Windows Update, click View installed updates and select from the list of updates.
File information See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 2875783
Registry key verification Note A registry key does not exist to validate the presence of this update.

Windows 7 (all editions)

Reference Table

The following table contains the security update information for this software.

Security update file name For all supported x64-based editions of Windows 7:\ Windows6.1-KB2875783-x64.msu
Installation switches See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 934307
Restart requirement Yes, you must restart your system after you apply this security update.
Removal information To uninstall an update installed by WUSA, use the /Uninstall setup switch or click Control Panel, click System and Security, and then under Windows Update, click View installed updates and select from the list of updates.
File information See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 2875783
Registry key verification Note A registry key does not exist to validate the presence of this update.

Windows Server 2008 R2 (all editions)

Reference Table

The following table contains the security update information for this software.

Security update file name For all supported x64-based editions of Windows Server 2008 R2:\ Windows6.1-KB2875783-x64.msu
For all supported Itanium-based editions of Windows Server 2008 R2:\ Windows6.1-KB2875783-ia64.msu
Installation switches See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 934307
Restart requirement Yes, you must restart your system after you apply this security update.
Removal information To uninstall an update installed by WUSA, use the /Uninstall setup switch or click Control Panel, click System and Security, and then under Windows Update, click View installed updates and select from the list of updates.
File information See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 2875783
Registry key verification Note A registry key does not exist to validate the presence of this update.

Windows 8 (all editions)

Reference Table

The following table contains the security update information for this software.

Security update file name For all supported x64-based editions of Windows 8:\ Windows8-RT-KB2875783-x64.msu
Installation switches See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 934307
Restart requirement Yes, you must restart your system after you apply this security update.
Removal information To uninstall an update installed by WUSA, use the /Uninstall setup switch or click Control Panel, click System and Security, click Windows Update, and then under See also, click Installed updates and select from the list of updates.
File information See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 2875783
Registry key verification Note A registry key does not exist to validate the presence of this update.

Windows Server 2012 (all editions)

Reference Table

The following table contains the security update information for this software.

Security update file name For all supported editions of Windows Server 2012:\ Windows8-RT-KB2875783-x64.msu
Installation switches See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 934307
Restart requirement Yes, you must restart your system after you apply this security update.
Removal information To uninstall an update installed by WUSA, use the /Uninstall setup switch or click Control Panel, click System and Security, click Windows Update, and then under See also, click Installed updates and select from the list of updates.
File information See Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 2875783
Registry key verification Note A registry key does not exist to validate the presence of this update.

Other Information

Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP)

To improve security protections for customers, Microsoft provides vulnerability information to major security software providers in advance of each monthly security update release. Security software providers can then use this vulnerability information to provide updated protections to customers via their security software or devices, such as antivirus, network-based intrusion detection systems, or host-based intrusion prevention systems. To determine whether active protections are available from security software providers, please go to the active protections websites provided by program partners, listed in Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP) Partners.

Support

How to obtain help and support for this security update

Disclaimer

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

Revisions

  • V1.0 (November 12, 2013): Bulletin published.

Built at 2014-04-18T13:49:36Z-07:00