• 10/11/2017
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Security Bulletin

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS13-090 - Critical

Cumulative Security Update of ActiveX Kill Bits (2900986)

Published: November 12, 2013 | Updated: February 28, 2014

Version: 1.1

General Information

Executive Summary

This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability that is currently being exploited. The vulnerability exists in the InformationCardSigninHelper Class ActiveX control. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted webpage with Internet Explorer, instantiating the ActiveX control. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights.

This security update is rated Critical for all supported editions of Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1. For all supported editions of Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2, this security update is rated Moderate. For more information, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software, in this section.

The security update addresses the vulnerability by setting kill bits so that the vulnerable control does not run in Internet Explorer. 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 immediately 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

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 

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ActiveX Compatibility\{19916e01-b44e-4e31-94a4-4696df46157b}]
"Compatibility Flags"=dword:04000400

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ActiveX Compatibility\{c2c4f00a-720e-4389-aeb9-e9c4b0d93c6f}]
"Compatibility Flags"=dword:04000400

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ActiveX Compatibility\{c2c4f00a-720e-4389-aeb9-e9c4b0d93c6f}]
"Compatibility Flags"=dword:04000400

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ActiveX Compatibility\{53001f3a-f5e1-4b90-9c9f-00e09b53c5f1}]
"Compatibility Flags"=dword:04000400

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ActiveX Compatibility\{53001f3a-f5e1-4b90-9c9f-00e09b53c5f1}]
"Compatibility Flags"=dword:04000400
```

You can apply this .reg file to individual systems by double-clicking it. You can also apply it across domains by using Group Policy. For more information about Group Policy, see the TechNet article, [Group Policy collection](http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=215719).

**Note** You must restart Internet Explorer for your changes to take effect.

**Impact of workaround**. There is no impact as long as the behavior is not intended to be used in Internet Explorer.

**How to undo the workaround.** Delete the registry keys previously added in implementing this workaround.

FAQ

What is the scope of the vulnerability? 
This is a remote code execution vulnerability.

What causes the vulnerability? 
When the InformationCardSigninHelper Class ActiveX control is instantiated in Internet Explorer, the control may corrupt the system state in such a way that an attacker could run arbitrary code.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do? 
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the current user. If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, 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.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability? 
An attacker could host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit these vulnerabilities through Internet Explorer, and then convince a user to view the website. The attacker could also take advantage of compromised websites and websites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements. These websites could contain specially crafted content that could exploit these vulnerabilities. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to view the attacker-controlled content. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to take action, typically by getting them to click a link in an email message or in an Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker's website, or by getting them to open an attachment sent through email.

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability? 
This vulnerability requires that a user be logged on and visiting a website for any malicious action to occur. Therefore, any system where Internet Explorer is used frequently, such as workstations or terminal servers, are at the most risk from the vulnerability.

I am running Internet Explorer for Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2012 R2. Does this mitigate these vulnerabilities? 
Yes. By default, Internet Explorer on Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2 runs in a restricted mode that is known as Enhanced Security Configuration. Enhanced Security Configuration is a group of preconfigured settings in Internet Explorer that can reduce the likelihood of a user or administrator downloading and running specially crafted web content on a server. This is a mitigating factor for websites that you have not added to the Internet Explorer Trusted sites zone.

What does the update do? 
The update disables the binary behavior by setting the following kill bits for the Class Identifiers hosted in the library file listed below:

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? 
Yes. Microsoft is aware of limited, targeted attacks that attempt to exploit this vulnerability.

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.

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.