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Security researchers on Monday spotted malicious code that triggers a critical vulnerability in the Chinese version of Windows 2000, and warned users of other editions to expect attacks.
Symantec confirmed that the proof-of-concept code publicly posted to the milw0rm.com site earlier in the day successfully attacks Chinese editions of Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (SP4) by exploiting one of the two critical bugs in Windows GDI, or graphics device interface, that Microsoft patched last week.
But while the attack code works on Chinese versions of Windows, it doesn't when pitched against other editions. Rather than allow hackers to execute additional code -- malware to hijack the PC, for instance -- the exploit simply crashes Explorer, the Windows file manager, on non-Chinese versions of the OS.
"This exploit will not successfully allow for remote code execution against English systems [but it] can successfully trigger a crash on English versions of Microsoft Windows," Symantec wrote in an analysis for customers of its DeepSight threat notification service.
The news followed reports by Symantec last Thursday that it had captured an exploit. Analysis then, however, determined that the attack -- made up of multiple EMF (Enhanced Metafile) images disguised as .jpg files -- wasn't crafted properly and wouldn't actually trigger the vulnerability.
A week ago, Microsoft patched the GDI bugs in every currently supported version of Windows, including the very newest, Vista SP1 and Server 2008. Windows XP SP3, the not-yet-finished final service pack, did not require patching because it had been fixed two weeks before.
The publication of the exploit sent Symantec to the alarm button. "Due to the availability of this public exploit for Chinese versions of Windows it is likely that attackers will modify this exploit to target English versions of the operating system," it said Monday. As it did last week, the company also urged users to deploy the fixes outlined by Microsoft in its MS08-021 security bulletin if they have not already done so.
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Beyond Virtualisation - The Roadmap to 2012
CIO Breakfast Briefing
8:30am - 10:30am
Brisbane | 22 July | Sofitel Brisbane
Sydney | 23 July | Four Seasons Hotel
Canberra | 24 July | The Hyatt
Attend and discover:
- What happens after virtualisation
- The benefits automation drives
- When automated infrastructures will emerge
- What the roadmap to 2012 looks like
- How to deliver an automated architecture
- How to maximise your investment in virtualisation
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Computerworld Live Podcast #96: Security at the Edge 11/06/2008 09:22:22
CW Live speaks with Amol Mitra, HP ProCurve Director of Marketing for Asia Pacific and Japan. Today's topic: how enterprises are starting to shift away from simply controlling security via server logins, firewalls and moving to more adaptive security frameworks. - +
Data Management Edition #10: Multi-Petascale Systems 02/05/2008 09:12:33
This week we look at sustainability and the development of multicore technologies to build multi-petascale systems. - +
IT Security Edition #11: How to poison the Storm botnet 01/05/2008 08:51:55
This week CW Live presents a case study on how to poison the notorious Storm botnet . Plus we take a look at Cisco's plans for Ironport. - +
IT Security Edition #10: Cyber-battles fought and won 24/04/2008 11:09:47
Vendors bow to end user pressure to improve product security, and we take a look at the latest concepts shaping the cyber-battlefield of the future. - +
Data Management Edition #9: Data centre makeover 24/04/2008 07:43:06
This week CW Live looks at the death of the old style data centre which is undergoing its first makeover in more than 30 years.
Ballarat Grammar Improves Student Access to Computer Based Learning with HP ProCurve 2008-07-04 16:49:00+10
Media release: 40 Per Cent of Australian Businesses Do Not Validate Their Data 2008-07-04 10:29:00+10
Kaseya helps turbo charge BlueFire’s service delivery model 2008-07-03 17:23:00+10
Computershare Selects Symantec for Data Loss Prevention Globally 2008-07-03 14:52:00+10
DST International moves to new Shanghai office 2008-07-03 13:21:00+10
Unified Communications: Justifications and Predictions
Building a business case for Unified Communications is currently more of an art than a science. However, the difficulty of building a business case for UC does not mean that there is none - just that we need to view (and measure) UC's benefits in accordance with the stage of maturity of the technology's adoption. Read on to find out more.
