• 10/11/2017
• 83 minutes to read

Security Bulletin

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-037 - Critical

Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Active Template Library (ATL) Could Allow Remote Code Execution (973908)

Published: August 11, 2009 | Updated: December 16, 2009

Version: 2.1

General Information

Executive Summary

This security update resolves several privately reported vulnerabilities in Microsoft Active Template Library (ATL). The vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user loaded a specially crafted component or control hosted on a malicious website. 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 Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2008. For more information on the software affected by this update, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software, in this section. For more information on the impact of, and workarounds and mitigations for controls and components that may be vulnerable to these issues, please see Microsoft Security Advisory (973882).

The security update addresses the vulnerabilities by modifying the ATL headers so that components and controls built using the headers can safely initialize from a data stream, and by providing updated versions of Windows components and controls built using corrected ATL headers. For more information about the vulnerabilities, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) subsection for the specific vulnerability entry under the next section, Vulnerability Information.

Recommendation.  The majority of 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.

Known Issues. Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 973908 documents the currently known issues that customers may experience when installing this security update. The article also documents recommended solutions for these issues. When currently known issues and recommended solutions pertain only to specific releases of this software, this article provides links to further articles.

Affected and Non-Affected Software

The following software have 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, visit Microsoft Support Lifecycle.

Affected Software

**Windows Server 2008 Server Core installation not affected. The vulnerability addressed by this update does not affect supported editions of Windows Server 2008 if Windows Server 2008 was installed using the Server Core installation option. For more information on this installation option, see Server Core. Note that the Server Core installation option does not apply to certain editions of Windows Server 2008; see Compare Server Core Installation Options.

Non-Affected Software

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Related to This Security Update

Why was this bulletin rereleased on September 8, 2009?
Microsoft rereleased this bulletin to offer new updates for the HtmlInput Object ActiveX control on Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, Windows Vista, Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Windows Vista Service Pack 2, Windows Vista x64 Edition, Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 1, and Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 2.

What is the HtmlInput Object ActiveX control?
The HtmlInput Object ActiveX control enables Windows Media Center hosted HTML applications to include instances of the Triple-tap/Soft-keyboard ActiveX control on their HTML pages. The control provides a standard interface for retrieving text input from the user, enabling them to enter text by using the remote control. For more information, see the MSDN article, HtmlInput Object.

Where are the file information details?
Refer to the reference tables in the Security Update Deployment section for the location of the file information details.

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 need to install this update only.

How does this bulletin relate to the vulnerabilities described in Microsoft Security Advisory (973882)? This bulletin addresses Windows components that are affected by the Active Template Library (ATL) vulnerabilities described in Microsoft Security Advisory (973882).

Is this security update related to MS09-034, released as an out-of-band update on July 28, 2009?
Yes. Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-034, "Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer," includes a mitigation that helps prevent components and controls built using the vulnerable ATL from being exploited in Internet Explorer, as well as addressing multiple unrelated vulnerabilities. The new defense in depth protections offered in MS09-034 include updates to Internet Explorer 5.01, Internet Explorer 6 and Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1, Internet Explorer 7, and Internet Explorer 8, that monitor and help prevent the successful exploitation of all known public and private ATL vulnerabilities, including the vulnerabilities that could lead to bypassing ActiveX's Kill Bit Security Feature. These protections are designed to help protect customers from Web-based attacks.

If I have installed the MS09-034 update, do I still need to install this update?
Yes. This security bulletin update addresses vulnerabilities in Windows components. By installing this update, users ensure that all known issues caused by vulnerable ATL headers and libraries are corrected for core Windows components.

If I have installed the MS09-034 update, do I still need to install additional components and controls issued by third-parties that address the vulnerabilities described in Microsoft Security Advisory 973882 and Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-035? Yes, you need to install updated controls from third parties when released. The MS09-034 Internet Explorer mitigation does not address the underlying vulnerabilities within certain components and controls developed with the Active Template Library. Microsoft recommends that developers follow the guidance provided in this bulletin to modify and rebuild all components and controls affected by vulnerabilities described in this bulletin.

What is ATL? The Active Template Library (ATL) is a set of template-based C++ classes that let developers create small, fast Component Object Model (COM) objects. It has special support for key COM features, including stock implementations, dual interfaces, standard COM enumerator interfaces, connection points, tear-off interfaces, and ActiveX controls. For more information, see the following MSDN article.

What is the DHTML Editing Component ActiveX Control? The DHTML Editing Component ActiveX control provides an HTML editor that developers can use to support dynamic Web site HTML editing in software. For more information about the DHTML Editing Component ActiveX control, see the following MSDN article.

What is the Microsoft MSWebDVD ActiveX Control? The Microsoft MSWebDVD ActiveX control is used to create script-based DVD applications by exposing the MSWebDVD object to applications. For more information, see the following MSDN article.

What is Outlook Express? Outlook Express is a feature of the Windows operating system for personal computers. It is used for sending and receiving e-mail.

What is Windows Media Player? Windows Media Player is a feature of the Windows operating system for personal computers. It is used for playing audio and video.

Are third-party components and controls affected by this issue? Some third-party components and controls may be affected by this issue if certain conditions were met during the building of the components and controls. Microsoft recommends that developers follow the guidance provided in this bulletin to modify and rebuild all components and controls affected by vulnerabilities described in this bulletin.

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 have been tested to determine which releases are affected. Other releases are past their support life cycle. To determine the support life cycle for your software release, visit Microsoft Support Lifecycle.

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. For more information about the Windows Product Lifecycle, visit Microsoft Support Lifecycle. For more information about the extended security update support period for these software versions or editions, visit Microsoft Product Support Services.

Customers who require custom support for older releases 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 Microsoft Worldwide Information, 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.

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 August bulletin summary. For more information, see Microsoft Exploitability Index.

Affected Software

Deployment Information

Installing the Update

When you install this security update, the installer checks whether 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 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.

This security update supports the following setup switches.

Removing the Update

This security update supports the following setup switches.

• Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer
  To verify that a security update has been applied to an affected system, you may be able to use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) tool. See the section, Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance, earlier in this bulletin for more information.

• File Version Verification
  Because there are several editions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your system. 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 edition of the operating system, or the programs that are installed on your system, 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 system 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 registry keys listed in the Reference Table in this section.

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

Windows XP (all editions)

Reference Table

The following table contains the security update information for this software. You can find additional information in the subsection, Deployment Information, in this section.

Note For supported versions of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, this security update is the same as supported versions of the Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition security update.

Deployment Information

Installing the Update

When you install this security update, the installer checks whether 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 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.

This security update supports the following setup switches.

Removing the Update

This security update supports the following setup switches.

• Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer
  To verify that a security update has been applied to an affected system, you may be able to use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) tool. See the section, Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance, earlier in this bulletin for more information.

• File Version Verification
  Because there are several editions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your system. 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 edition of the operating system, or the programs that are installed on your system, 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 system 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 registry keys listed in the Reference Table in this section.

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

Windows Server 2003 (all editions)

Reference Table

The following table contains the security update information for this software. You can find additional information in the subsection, Deployment Information, in this section.

Deployment Information

Installing the Update

When you install this security update, 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 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.

This security update supports the following setup switches.

Removing the Update

This security update supports the following setup switches.

• Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer
  To verify that a security update has been applied to an affected system, you may be able to use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) tool. See the section, Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance, earlier in this bulletin for more information.

• File Version Verification
  Because there are several editions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your system. 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 edition of the operating system, or the programs that are installed on your system, 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 system 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 registry keys listed in the Reference Table in this section.

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

Windows Vista (all editions)

Reference Table

The following table contains the security update information for this software. You can find additional information in the subsection, Deployment Information, in this section.