Microsoft Security Bulletin MS14-016 - Important

• 10/11/2017
• 16 minutes to read
• • 
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Vulnerability in Security Account Manager Remote (SAMR) Protocol Could Allow Security Feature Bypass (2934418)

Published: March 11, 2014 | Updated: September 10, 2014

Version: 1.2

General Information

Executive Summary

This security update resolves one privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. The vulnerability could allow security feature bypass if an attacker makes multiple attempts to match passwords to a username.

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

The security update addresses the vulnerability by correcting the manner in which Windows validates user lockout state. 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: 2934418
• 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

Non-Affected Software

SAMR Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability - CVE-2014-0317

A security feature bypass vulnerability exists when the Security Account Manager Remote (SAMR) protocol incorrectly validates user lockout state.

To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, see CVE-2014-0317.

Mitigating Factors

Microsoft has not identified any mitigating factors for this vulnerability.

Workarounds

Microsoft has not identified any workarounds for this vulnerability.

FAQ

What is the scope of the vulnerability?
This is a security feature bypass vulnerability.

What causes the vulnerability?
The vulnerability is caused when Windows incorrectly validates user lockout states.

What is SAMR?
The Security Account Manager Remote (SAMR) protocol (client-to-server) provides management functionality for an account store or directory containing users and groups. This protocol is useful for manipulating an account database consisting of users, groups, and other security principals.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could conduct brute force attacks against user passwords.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability?
To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need a username and have network connectivity to a domain controller.

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?
Servers with Active Directory installed, or servers and workstations that are running Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services or Active Directory Application Mode are at risk.

What does the update do?
The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting the manner in which Windows validates user lockout state.

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 issued.

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

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.

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.