This alert is to provide you with an overview of Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-002, the Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer, released (out-of-band) on Thursday, January 21. This bulletin addresses eight vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. Microsoft recommends that partners secure their own systems, then reach out to customers to assist them in ensuring their systems are secured.
 

KEY RESOURCES

Founder & CEO, Ntirety

www.ntirety.com

My Personal Twitter Account: Michael_Corey

Ntirety Corporate Twitter Account: Ntirety

www.ntirety.com

A very old saying  Caveat Emptor or in english  "Buyer Beware" or in the case of Facebook, should I say to all 175 Million users in over 30 languages "Facebook User Beware". They just changed there term of service agreement and they own your content. Yes I said that correctly, if you put something on Facebook, you are giving facebook rights to it forever.

This is a scary thought. The lawyers will have a field day to this and rightly so, Think of all the people who use Facebook. Celebrities all the way to the average Joe. I am not sure this is a reasonable stance for Facebook to take.

It use to be once you removed something from Facebook their rights to the information expired. With this most recent change, they own rights to the pictures, comments forever.  My hat goes off to The Consumerist who discovered this and is publishing this fact out to the world.

Here is a portion of that article...

Facebook's New Terms Of Service: "We Can Do Anything We Want With Your Content. Forever."

By Chris Walters, 6:14 PM on Sun Feb 15 2009

Facebook's terms of service (TOS) used to say that when you closed an account on their network, any rights they claimed to the original content you uploaded would expire. Not anymore. Now, anything you upload to Facebook can be used by Facebook in any way they deem fit, forever, no matter what you do later. Want to close your account? Good for you, but Facebook still has the right to do whatever it wants with your old content. They can even sublicense it if they want.

You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers), any User Content you (i) Post on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof subject only to your privacy settings or (ii) enable a user to Post, including by offering a Share Link on your website and (b) to use your name, likeness and image for any purpose, including commercial or advertising, each of (a) and (b) on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof.

That language is the same as in the old TOS, but there was an important couple of lines at the end of that section that have been removed:

You may remove your User Content from the Site at any time. If you choose to remove your User Content, the license granted above will automatically expire, however you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content.

To read the entire article....

The Consumerist Facebook New Terms of Service

I will end this blog as I started it...

A very old saying  Caveat Emptor or in english  "Buyer Beware" or in the case of Facebook, should I say to all 175 Million users in over 30 languages "Facebook User Beware". 

After this blog came out, Facebook commented on this recent change to the terms of service....

Posted Michael Corey,

Founder & CEO, Ntirety

www.ntirety.com

Twitter: Michael_Corey

Twitter: Ntirety

Firefox just released a new version that addresses several security issues. Here is an excert from the article I saw in PCWORLD.

New Firefox Release Fixes Critical Security Bugs

Robert McMillan, IDG News Service

Microsoft Security Advisory (961040)

Vulnerability in SQL Server Could Allow Remote Code Execution

This is a pretty important security Bulletin. If you use Internet Explorer and go to a specially crafted web page you could be at real risk.....

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-078 - Critical

Security Update for Internet Explorer (960714)

Executive Summary

This security update resolves a publicly disclosed vulnerability. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted Web page using Internet Explorer. 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 Internet Explorer 5.01, Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1, and Internet Explorer 7. For information about Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2, please see the section, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Related to This Security Update. For more information, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software, in this section.

The security update addresses the vulnerability by modifying the way Internet Explorer validates data binding parameters and handles the error resulting in the exploitable condition. For more information about the vulnerability, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) subsection under the next section, Vulnerability Information.

This security update also addresses the vulnerability first described in Microsoft Security Advisory 961051.

Recommendation. Microsoft recommends that customers apply the update immediately.

Affected and Non-Affected Software

The software listed here 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

Note For information about Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2, please see the section, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Related to This Security Update.

Vulnerability Information

Severity Ratings and Vulnerability Identifiers

Vulnerability Severity Rating and Maximum Security Impact by Affected Software
Affected Software	Pointer Reference Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2008-4844	Aggregate Severity Rating
Internet Explorer 5.01 and Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1
Internet Explorer 5.01 Service Pack 4 when installed on Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4	Critical  Remote Code Execution	Critical
Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 when installed on Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4	Critical  Remote Code Execution	Critical
Internet Explorer 6
Internet Explorer 6 for Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows XP Service Pack 3	Critical  Remote Code Execution	Critical
Internet Explorer 6 for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 2	Critical  Remote Code Execution	Critical
Internet Explorer 6 for Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2	Critical  Remote Code Execution	Critical
Internet Explorer 6 for Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition and Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition Service Pack 2	Critical  Remote Code Execution	Critical
Internet Explorer 6 for Windows Server 2003 with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems and Windows Server 2003 with SP2 for Itanium-based Systems	Critical  Remote Code Execution	Critical
Internet Explorer 7
Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows XP Service Pack 3	Critical  Remote Code Execution	Critical
Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 2	Critical  Remote Code Execution	Critical
Internet Explorer 7 for Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2	Critical  Remote Code Execution	Critical
Internet Explorer 7 for Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition and Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition Service Pack 2	Critical  Remote Code Execution	Critical
Internet Explorer 7 for Windows Server 2003 with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems and Windows Server 2003 with SP2 for Itanium-based Systems	Critical  Remote Code Execution	Critical
Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista and Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista Service Pack 1	Critical  Remote Code Execution	Critical
Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista x64 Edition and Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 1	Critical  Remote Code Execution	Critical
Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems	Critical  Remote Code Execution	Critical
Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems	Critical  Remote Code Execution	Critical
Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems	Critical  Remote Code Execution	Critical

Note For information about Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2, please see the section, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Related to This Security Update.

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Pointer Reference Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2008-4844

A remote code execution vulnerability exists as an invalid pointer reference in the data binding function of Internet Explorer. When data binding is enabled (which is the default state), it is possible under certain conditions for an object to be released without updating the array length, leaving the potential to access the deleted object's memory space. This can cause Internet Explorer to exit unexpectedly, in a state that is exploitable.

An attacker could exploit the vulnerability by constructing a specially crafted Web page. When a user views the Web page, the vulnerability could allow remote code execution. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the logged-on user.

To view this vulnerability as a standard entry in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, see CVE-2008-4844.

Mitigating Factors for Pointer Reference Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2008-4844

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:

•	In a Web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a Web site that contains a Web page that is used to exploit this vulnerability. In addition, compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker’s Web site.
•	An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. 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.
•	By default, Protected Mode in Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 in Windows Vista and later helps protect users and their systems from malicious downloads by restricting requests to start another program or requests to save files without the user's consent. This includes user or system files and settings.

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Workarounds for Pointer Reference Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2008-4844

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:

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Set Internet and Local intranet security zone settings to “High” to prompt before running ActiveX Controls and Active Scripting in these zones You can help protect against exploitation of this vulnerability by changing your settings for the Internet security zone to prompt before running ActiveX controls and Active Scripting. You can do this by setting your browser security to High. To raise the browsing security level in Internet Explorer, follow these steps: 1. On the Internet Explorer Tools menu, click Internet Options. 2. In the Internet Options dialog box, click the Security tab, and then click the Internet icon. 3. Under Security level for this zone, move the slider to High. This sets the security level for all Web sites you visit to High. Note If no slider is visible, click Default Level, and then move the slider to High. Note Setting the level to High may cause some Web sites to work incorrectly. If you have difficulty using a Web site after you change this setting, and you are sure the site is safe to use, you can add that site to your list of trusted sites. This will allow the site to work correctly even with the security setting set to High. Impact of workaround. There are side effects to prompting before running ActiveX Controls and Active Scripting. Many Web sites that are on the Internet or on an intranet use ActiveX or Active Scripting to provide additional functionality. For example, an online e-commerce site or banking site may use ActiveX Controls to provide menus, ordering forms, or even account statements. Prompting before running ActiveX Controls or Active Scripting is a global setting that affects all Internet and intranet sites. You will be prompted frequently when you enable this workaround. For each prompt, if you feel you trust the site that you are visiting, click Yes to run ActiveX Controls or Active Scripting. If you do not want to be prompted for all these sites, use the steps outlined in "Add sites that you trust to the Internet Explorer Trusted sites zone". Add sites that you trust to the Internet Explorer Trusted sites zone After you set Internet Explorer to require a prompt before it runs ActiveX controls and Active Scripting in the Internet zone and in the Local intranet zone, you can add sites that you trust to the Internet Explorer Trusted sites zone. This will allow you to continue to use trusted Web sites exactly as you do today, while helping to protect you from this attack on untrusted sites. We recommend that you add only sites that you trust to the Trusted sites zone. To do this, follow these steps: 1. In Internet Explorer, click Tools, click Internet Options, and then click the Security tab. 2. In the Select a Web content zone to specify its current security settings box, click Trusted Sites, and then click Sites. 3. If you want to add sites that do not require an encrypted channel, click to clear the Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone check box. 4. In the Add this Web site to the zone box, type the URL of a site that you trust, and then click Add. 5. Repeat these steps for each site that you want to add to the zone. 6. Click OK two times to accept the changes and return to Internet Explorer. Note Add any sites that you trust not to take malicious action on your system. Two in particular that you may want to add are *.windowsupdate.microsoft.com and *.update.microsoft.com. These are the sites that will host the update, and it requires an ActiveX Control to install the update.

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Configure Internet Explorer to prompt before running Active Scripting or to disable Active Scripting in the Internet and Local intranet security zone You can help protect against exploitation of this vulnerability by changing your settings to prompt before running Active Scripting or to disable Active Scripting in the Internet and Local intranet security zone. To do this, follow these steps: 1. In Internet Explorer, click Internet Options on the Tools menu. 2. Click the Security tab. 3. Click Internet, and then click Custom Level. 4. Under Settings, in the Scripting section, under Active Scripting, click Prompt or Disable, and then click OK. 5. Click Local intranet, and then click Custom Level. 6. Under Settings, in the Scripting section, under Active Scripting, click Prompt or Disable, and then click OK. 7. Click OK two times to return to Internet Explorer. Note Disabling Active Scripting in the Internet and Local intranet security zones may cause some Web sites to work incorrectly. If you have difficulty using a Web site after you change this setting, and you are sure the site is safe to use, you can add that site to your list of trusted sites. This will allow the site to work correctly. Impact of workaround.There are side effects to prompting before running Active Scripting. Many Web sites that are on the Internet or on an intranet use Active Scripting to provide additional functionality. For example, an online e-commerce site or banking site may use Active Scripting to provide menus, ordering forms, or even account statements. Prompting before running Active Scripting is a global setting that affects all Internet and intranet sites. You will be prompted frequently when you enable this workaround. For each prompt, if you feel you trust the site that you are visiting, click Yes to run Active Scripting. If you do not want to be prompted for all these sites, use the steps outlined in "Add sites that you trust to the Internet Explorer Trusted sites zone". Add sites that you trust to the Internet Explorer Trusted sites zone After you set Internet Explorer to require a prompt before it runs ActiveX controls and Active Scripting in the Internet zone and in the Local intranet zone, you can add sites that you trust to the Internet Explorer Trusted sites zone. This will allow you to continue to use trusted Web sites exactly as you do today, while helping to protect you from this attack on untrusted sites. We recommend that you add only sites that you trust to the Trusted sites zone. To do this, follow these steps: 1. In Internet Explorer, click Tools, click Internet Options, and then click the Security tab. 2. In the Select a Web content zone to specify its current security settings box, click Trusted Sites, and then click Sites. 3. If you want to add sites that do not require an encrypted channel, click to clear the Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone check box. 4. In the Add this Web site to the zone box, type the URL of a site that you trust, and then click Add. 5. Repeat these steps for each site that you want to add to the zone. 6. Click OK two times to accept the changes and return to Internet Explorer. Note Add any sites that you trust not to take malicious action on your system. Two in particular that you may want to add are *.windowsupdate.microsoft.com and *.update.microsoft.com. These are the sites that will host the update, and it requires an ActiveX Control to install the update.

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Disable XML Island functionality Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk. Create a backup copy of the registry keys by using the following command from an elevated command prompt: Regedit.exe /e Disable_XML_Island_backup.reg HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{379E501F-B231-11D1-ADC1-00805FC752D8} For Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 only, take ownership of [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{379E501F-B231-11D1-ADC1-00805FC752D8}], as follows: 1. As an administrator, click Start, click Run, type Regedit in the Open box, and then click OK 2. Go to [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{379E501F-B231-11D1-ADC1-00805FC752D8}] 3. Click Permission, then Advanced, then Owner 4. Change Owner to Administrator 5. Click Grant Full Control to Administrator 6. Then iterate for all subkeys Next, save the following to a file with a .REG extension, such as Disable_XML_Island.reg: Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{379E501F-B231-11D1-ADC1-00805FC752D8}] Run Disable_XML_Island.reg with the following command from an elevated command prompt: Regedit.exe /s Disable_XML_Island.reg Impact of workaround: Embedded XML in HTML may not render correctly. How to undo the workaround Restore the original state by running the following command from an elevated command prompt: Regedit.exe /s Disable_XML_Island_backup.reg

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Restrict Internet Explorer from using OLEDB32.dll with an Integrity Level ACL This workaround applies only to Windows Vista and newer operating systems and requires that UAC prompting and Protected Mode be enabled, which are the default settings. Save the following text to a temporary directory: For 32-bit systems Save to a text file called: "BlockAccess_x86.inf" [Unicode] Unicode=yes [Version] signature="$CHICAGO$" Revision=1 [File Security] "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll",2,"S:(ML;;NWNRNX;;;ME)" For 64-bit systems Save to a text file called: "BlockAccess_x64.inf" [Unicode] Unicode=yes [Version] signature="$CHICAGO$" Revision=1 [File Security] "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll",2,"S:(ML;;NWNRNX;;;ME)" "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll",2,"S:(ML;;NWNRNX;;;ME)" Run the following command from the temporary directory as an Administrator: SecEdit /configure /db BlockAccess.sdb /cfg <inf file> After the command completes, you should see the following messages: The task has completed successfully. See log %windir%\security\logs\scesrv.log for detail info. Validating the workaround To validate that the workaround was successfully applied, run the following commands at a command prompt: For 32-bit systems icacls "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" For 64-bit systems icacls "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" icacls "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" Each time you run icacls, search through the output for the following line. Mandatory Label\Medium Mandatory Level:(NW,NR,NX) Impact of workaround: Any ADO/OLE DB applications running in Internet Explorer, which is not common, will stop functioning. The impact is minimal since all other processes running in Medium or higher integrity level would still be able to load the dll and use it. How to undo the workaround Save the following text to a temporary directory: For 32-bit systems Save to a text file called: "unBlockAccess_x86.inf" [Unicode] Unicode=yes [Version] signature="$CHICAGO$" Revision=1 [File Security] "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll",2,"S:(ML;;NW;;;ME)" For 64-bit systems Save to a text file called: "unBlockAccess_x64.inf" [Unicode] Unicode=yes [Version] signature="$CHICAGO$" Revision=1 [File Security] "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll",2,"S:(ML;;NW;;;ME)" "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll",2,"S:(ML;;NW;;;ME)" Run the following command from the temporary directory as an Administrator: SecEdit /configure /db UnblockAccess.sdb /cfg <inf file> After the command completes, you should see the following messages: The task has completed successfully. See log %windir%\security\logs\scesrv.log for detail info.

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Disable Row Position functionality of OLEDB32.dll Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk. Create a backup copy of the registry keys by using the following command from an elevated command prompt: Regedit.exe /e Disable_Row_Position_backup.reg HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2048EEE6-7FA2-11D0-9E6A-00A0C9138C29} For Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 only, take ownership of [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2048EEE6-7FA2-11D0-9E6A-00A0C9138C29}], as follows: 1. As an administrator, click Start, click Run, type Regedit in the Open box, and then click OK 2. Go to [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2048EEE6-7FA2-11D0-9E6A-00A0C9138C29}] 3. Click Permission, then Advanced, then Owner 4. Change Owner to Administrator 5. Click Grant Full Control to Administrator 6. Then iterate for all subkeys Next, save the following to a file with a .REG extension, such as Disable_Row_Position.reg: Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{2048EEE6-7FA2-11D0-9E6A-00A0C9138C29}] Run Disable_Row_Position.reg with the following command from an elevated command prompt: Regedit.exe /s Disable_Row_Position.reg Impact of workaround: All ADO applications using the RowPosition property and related information will stop functioning. All OLE DB applications using the OLE DB Row Position Library will stop functioning. How to undo the workaround Restore the original state by running the following command from an elevated command prompt: Regedit.exe /s Disable_Row_Position_backup.reg

•	Unregister OLEDB32.DLL Run the following commands from a command prompt as an administrator: • For supported versions of Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Regsvr32.exe /u "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" • For supported versions of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition, Windows Vista x64 Edition, Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems, and Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems Regsvr32.exe /u "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" Regsvr32.exe /u "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" Impact of workaround: All OLE DB and ADO applications will stop functioning. This includes all ASP/ADO implementations, SQL Server linked services, .Net applications using the System.Data.OLEDB namespace, and some Office functionality that accesses external data. How to undo the workaround Run the following commands from a command prompt as an administrator: • For supported versions of Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Regsvr32.exe "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" • For supported versions of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition, Windows Vista x64 Edition, Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems, and Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems Regsvr32.exe "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" Regsvr32.exe "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll"
•	Use ACL to disable OLEDB32.DLL Run the following commands from a command prompt as an administrator: • For supported versions of Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 cacls "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" /E /P everyone:N • For supported versions of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition, and Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems cacls "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" /E /P everyone:N cacls "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" /E /P everyone:N • For supported versions of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems takeown /f "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" icacls "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" /save %TEMP%\oledb32.32.dll.TXT icacls "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" /deny everyone:(F) • For supported versions of Windows Vista x64 Edition, Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems, and Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems takeown /f "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" icacls "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" /save %TEMP%\oledb32.64.dll.TXT icacls "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" /deny everyone:(F) takeown /f "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" icacls "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" /save %TEMP%\oledb32.32.dll.TXT icacls "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" /deny everyone:(F) Impact of workaround: All OLE DB and ADO applications will stop functioning. This includes all ASP/ADO implementations, SQL Server linked services, .Net applications using the System.Data.OLEDB namespace, and some Office functionality that accesses external data. How to undo the workaround Run the following commands from a command prompt as an administrator: • For supported versions of Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 cacls "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" /E /R everyone • For supported versions of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition, and Windows Server 2003 for Itanium-based Systems cacls "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" /E /R everyone cacls "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Common Files\System\Ole DB\oledb32.dll" /E /R everyone • For supported versions of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems: icacls "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB" /restore %TEMP%\oledb32.32.dll.TXT • For supported versions of Windows Vista x64 Edition, Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems, and Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems icacls "%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\System\Ole DB" /restore %TEMP%\oledb32.32.dll.TXT icacls "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Common Files\System\Ole DB" /restore %TEMP%\oledb32.64.dll.TXT
•	Enable DEP for Internet Explorer 7 on Windows Vista and on Windows Server 2008 Local Administrators can control DEP/NX by running Internet Explorer as an Administrator. To enable DEP, perform the following steps: 1. In Internet Explorer, click Tools, click Internet Options, and then click Advanced. 2. Click Enable memory protection to help mitigate online attacks. Impact of workaround: Some browser extensions may not be compatible with DEP and may exit unexpectedly. If this occurs, you can disable the add-on, or revert the DEP setting using the Internet Control Panel. This is also accessible using the System Control panel.

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Disable Data Binding support in Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 Perform the following steps: 1. Set Internet and Local Intranet security zone settings to High. 2. Save the following to a file with a .REG extension, such as Disable_Data_Binding.reg to add the feature control key: Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\MAIN\FeatureControl\FEATURE_DATABINDING_SUPPORT] "iexplore.exe"=dword:00000000 3. Run Disable_Data_Binding.reg with the following command from an elevated command prompt: Regedit.exe /s Disable_Data_Binding.reg Impact of workaround: This workaround turns off data binding for all security zones. Any accessed Web sites that use data binding will no longer render properly. How to undo the workaround Use the following registry file to remove the feature control key: Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\MAIN\FeatureControl\FEATURE_DATABINDING_SUPPORT]

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FAQ for Pointer Reference Memory Corruption Vulnerability - CVE-2008-4844

What is the scope of the vulnerability? 
This is a remote code execution vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the logged-on user.

If a 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. 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.

What causes the vulnerability? 
The vulnerability exists as an invalid pointer reference in the data binding function of Internet Explorer. When data binding is enabled (which is the default state), it is possible under certain conditions for an object to be released without updating the array length, leaving the potential to access the deleted object's memory space. This can cause Internet Explorer to exit unexpectedly, in a state that is exploitable. As a result, memory may be corrupted in such a way that an attacker could execute arbitrary code in the context of the logged-on user.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do? 
An attacker who successfully exploited the remote code execution vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. 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.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability? 
An attacker could host a specially crafted Web site that is designed to exploit this vulnerability through Internet Explorer and then convince a user to view the Web site. The attacker could also take advantage of compromised Web sites and Web sites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements. These Web sites could contain specially crafted content that could exploit this vulnerability. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to visit these Web sites. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to visit the Web site, typically by getting them to click a link in an e-mail message or in an Instant Messenger message that takes users to the attacker's Web site. It could also be possible to display specially crafted Web content by using banner advertisements or by using other methods to deliver Web content to affected systems.

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability? 
This vulnerability requires that a user is logged on and reading e-mail messages or is visiting Web sites for any malicious action to occur. Therefore, any systems where e-mail messages are read or where Internet Explorer is used frequently, such as workstations or terminal servers, are at the most risk from this vulnerability. Servers could be at more risk if administrators allow users to browse and read e-mail on servers. However, best practices strongly discourage allowing this.

Which of the workarounds should I apply to my system in order to be protected?
Based on our investigation, setting the Internet zone security setting to High will protect users from known attacks. However, for the most effective protection, customers should evaluate a combination of using the High security setting in conjunction with one of the following workarounds.

•	Disable XML Island functionality
•	Restrict Internet Explorer from using OLEDB32.dll with an Integrity Level ACL
•	Disable Row Position functionality of OLEDB32.dll
•	Unregister OLEDB32.dll
•	Use ACL to disable OLEDB32.dll

For additional workaround details, please see the following post: .

Each of these workarounds is equally effective in protecting customers; however, each workaround has different impacts based on the environment in which they are applied. We encourage customers to evaluate which of the workarounds would be least impactful to their environment, based on the impact statements included with each workaround.

How does configuring the Internet zone security setting to High protect me from this vulnerability?
Setting the Internet zone security setting to High protects against all currently known exploits of this vulnerability by disabling scripting, disabling less secure features in Internet Explorer, and blocks known techniques used to bypass Data Execution Prevention (DEP). It is important to note that the vulnerable code may be reached even with these protections in place, however current attacks would not be successful with these workarounds in place.

How does Protected Mode in Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 on Windows Vista and later protect me from this vulnerability?
Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 in Windows Vista run in Protected Mode by default in the Internet security zone. (Protected Mode is off by default in the Intranet zone.) Protected Mode significantly reduces the ability of an attacker to write, alter, or destroy data on the user’s machine or to install malicious code. This is accomplished by using the integrity mechanisms of Windows Vista which restrict access to processes, files, and registry keys with higher integrity levels.

What is Data Execution Prevention (DEP)?
Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is included in Internet Explorer; disabled by default in Internet Explorer 7, and enabled by default in Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2. DEP is designed to help foil attacks by preventing code from running in memory that is marked non-executable. For more information about DEP in Internet Explorer, please see the following post: http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2008/04/08/ie8-security-part-I_3A00_-dep-nx-memory-protection.aspx. Recently, proof of concept code was published that demonstrates methods to bypass DEP. However, the workarounds included in this bulletin, of setting the security slider to High as well as applying one of the OLEDB32.dll workarounds, are still effective in blocking current attacks.

What does the update do? 
The security update addresses the vulnerability by modifying the way Internet Explorer validates data binding parameters and handles the error resulting in the exploitable condition.

When this security bulletin was issued, had this vulnerability been publicly disclosed? 
Yes. This vulnerability has been publicly disclosed. It has been assigned Common Vulnerability and Exposure number CVE-2008-4844.

When this security bulletin was issued, had Microsoft received any reports that this vulnerability was being exploited? 
Yes. When the security bulletin was released, Microsoft had received information that this vulnerability was being exploited.

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Update Information

Detection and Deployment Tools and Guidance

Manage the software and security updates you need to deploy to the servers, desktop, and mobile computers in your organization. For more information see the TechNet Update Management Center. The Microsoft TechNet Security Web site provides additional information about security in Microsoft products.

Security updates are available from Microsoft Update, Windows Update, and Office Update. Security updates are also available at the Microsoft Download Center. You can find them most easily by doing a keyword search for "security update."

Finally, security updates can be downloaded from the Microsoft Update Catalog. The Microsoft Update Catalog provides a searchable catalog of content made available through Windows Update and Microsoft Update, including security updates, drivers and service packs. By searching using the security bulletin number (such as, “MS08-010”), you can add all of the applicable updates to your basket (including different languages for an update), and download to the folder of your choosing. For more information about the Microsoft Update Catalog, see the Microsoft Update Catalog FAQ.

Detection and Deployment Guidance

Microsoft has provided detection and deployment guidance for this month’s security updates. This guidance will also help IT professionals understand how they can use various tools to help deploy the security update, such as Windows Update, Microsoft Update, Office Update, the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA), the Office Detection Tool, Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS), and the Extended Security Update Inventory Tool. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 910723.

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) allows administrators to scan local and remote systems for missing security updates as well as common security misconfigurations. For more information about MBSA, visit Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer.

The following table provides the MBSA detection summary for this security update.

Software	MBSA 2.1
Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4	Yes
Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows XP Service Pack 3	Yes
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 2	Yes
Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2	Yes
Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition and Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition Service Pack 2	Yes
Windows Server 2003 with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems and Windows Server 2003 with SP2 for Itanium-based Systems	Yes
Windows Vista and Windows Vista Service Pack 1	Yes
Windows Vista x64 Edition and Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 1	Yes
Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems	Yes
Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems	Yes
Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems	Yes

For more information about MBSA 2.1, see MBSA 2.1 Frequently Asked Questions.

Windows Server Update Services

By using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), administrators can deploy the latest critical updates and security updates for Windows 2000 operating systems and later, Office XP and later, Exchange Server 2003, and SQL Server 2000 to Windows 2000 and later operating systems. For more information about how to deploy this security update using Windows Server Update Services, visit the Windows Server Update Services Web site.

Systems Management Server

The following table provides the SMS detection and deployment summary for this security update.

Software	SMS 2.0	SMS 2003 with SUSFP	SMS 2003 with ITMU	Configuration Manager 2007
Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows XP Service Pack 3	Yes*	Yes*	Yes	Yes
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Service Pack 2	No	No	Yes	Yes
Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2	Yes*	Yes*	Yes	Yes
Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition Service Pack 2	No	No	Yes	Yes
Windows Server 2003 with SP1 for Itanium-based Systems and Windows Server 2003 with SP2 for Itanium-based Systems	No	No	Yes	Yes
Windows Vista and Windows Vista Service Pack 1	No	No	See Note for Windows Vista and Windows Server2008 below	Yes
Windows Vista x64 Edition and Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 1	No	No	See Note for Windows Vista and Windows Server2008 below	Yes
Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems	No	No	See Note for Windows Vista and Windows Server2008 below	Yes
Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems	No	No	See Note for Windows Vista and Windows Server2008 below	Yes
Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems	No	No	See Note for Windows Vista and Windows Server2008 below	Yes

*SMS 2.0 and SMS 2003 with SUSFP support all affected versions of Internet Explorer except for Internet Explorer 7. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 924178.

For SMS 2.0 and SMS 2003, the SMS SUS Feature Pack (SUSFP), which includes the Security Update Inventory Tool (SUIT), can be used by SMS to detect security updates. See also Downloads for Systems Management Server 2.0.

For SMS 2003, the SMS 2003 Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates (ITMU) can be used by SMS to detect security updates that are offered by Microsoft Update and that are supported by Windows Server Update Services. For more information about the SMS 2003 ITMU, see SMS 2003 Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates. SMS 2003 can also use the Microsoft Office Inventory Tool to detect required updates for Microsoft Office applications. For more information about the Office Inventory Tool and other scanning tools, see SMS 2003 Software Update Scanning Tools. See also Downloads for Systems Management Server 2003.

System Center Configuration Manager 2007 uses WSUS 3.0 for detection of updates. For more information about Configuration Manager 2007 Software Update Management, visit System Center Configuration Manager 2007.

Note for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008  Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 with Service Pack 3 includes support for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 manageability.

For more information about SMS, visit the SMS Web site.

For more detailed information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 910723: Summary list of monthly detection and deployment guidance articles.

Update Compatibility Evaluator and Application Compatibility Toolkit

Updates often write to the same files and registry settings required for your applications to run. This can trigger incompatibilities and increase the time it takes to deploy security updates. You can streamline testing and validating Windows updates against installed applications with the Update Compatibility Evaluator components included with Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.0.

The Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) contains the necessary tools and documentation to evaluate and mitigate application compatibility issues before deploying Microsoft Windows Vista, a Windows Update, a Microsoft Security Update, or a new version of Windows Internet Explorer in your environment.

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Security Update Deployment

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-078 - Critical

Posted Michael Corey,

Founder & CEO, Ntirety

www.ntirety.com

Minimum Standard for protection of personal information

In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts we have a new (law)  regulation that establishes minimum standards to be met in connection with the safeguarding of personal information contained in both paper and electronic records. Its my understanding this effects all business. It has been postponed till May 2009. but it is the law.

For your light reading late at night, here is a copy of the law....

I became acutely aware first hand how important it is to protect oneself online, when my 20 year sons Identity was stolen. It hit home so hard, that I have written a number of blog entrys on it. Ntirety also has launched a practice that specializes in Database Security. Here are some of my past blogs....

You thought you had to worry about your identity being stolen what about that of your PC. Identity theft is a real problem and keeps growing.

On January 30th, 2008, I talked about how my son who is attending college Identity was stolen. Who would have thoguht they would steal the credit identity of a 20 year old. Click here to read the blog entry..

Identity Theft Hits Home - Lessoned Learned 

In that blog I give you many helpful hints on what to do when your credit identity is stolen. It loaded with a lot of useful tips.

On August 14th, 2008, I posted a video of someone using a SQL Injection attack to break into an Oracle Linux database. Seeing how easy it was is quite a shock. Face it there big money is stealing the information stored in an Oracle Database, SQL Server Database and any other database that contains credit card information, etc.

Click here to see the video of a SQL Injection attack..

 SQL Injection Attack Oracle LINUX Database 

What is clear to me, that you have to be very careful. The latest blog in on Nigerian Scammers who recently infiltrated Facebook. It comes to me via the 

Sydney Morning Herald

Cyber criminals target Facebook users

Asher Moses
November 10, 2008 - 2:27PM

Facebook has been infiltrated by Nigerian scammers and other cyber criminals who use compromised accounts to con users out of cash.

Now that even non-tech savvy internet users know not to respond to, or click on links in, emails from strangers, online thieves have turned to social networks and are finding it is easier to trick people when posing as their friends.

On Friday, Sydneysider Karina Wells received a Facebook message from one of her friends, Adrian, saying he was stranded in Lagos, Nigeria, and needed her to lend him $500 for a ticket home.

Adrian used relatively good English but, after chatting further, words such as "cell" instead of "mobile phone" tipped Wells off that she was not talking to her friend but someone who had taken over his account.

Using sites such as Facebook allows scammers to research and target victims more effectively and avoid having their messages blocked by spam filters, said Paul Ducklin, head of technology at Sophos Asia Pacific.

It is likely the scammer obtained Adrian's Facebook login details after he was infected with a virus delivered by email or in an infected web page.

There are a number of viruses which, once installed on a computer, send back to the hacker a detailed log of everything entered using the keyboard, including online banking details and passwords for services such as Facebook.

Wells played along with the scammer, who asked her to transfer the money into a Western Union account.

"Naturally I was concerned as, to all intents and purposes, this seemed to be legitimate," she said.

"I pretended that I would help, obtained all the details of where he was and forwarded them to both Facebook and the relevant authorities."

But while the Nigerian scammer used the compromised Facebook account coupled with social engineering tactics to try to convince Wells to hand over money, many are using compromised accounts to spread malware.

Typically, the victim receives a Facebook message from a friend with a subject such as "LOL. You've been catched on hidden cam, yo" or "Nice dancing! Shouldn't you be ashamed?"

The body of the message contains a video clip link that appears to go to a legitimate site such as Facebook or YouTube but, when clicked on, it takes the user to a bogus web page.

Before the users can play the video they are told they need to download a video player upgrade, which is in fact a password-stealing virus.

The next time the victim logs into Facebook the malware-laden message is sent to all of their friends and the infected link is automatically added in comments on friends' pages.

Other less sophisticated attacks on Facebook members use spam emails, some appearing to come from Facebook itself, to spread viruses.

In September security firm WebSense reported on spam emails, purportedly sent from an @facebookmail.com address, that tell the victim they have received an invitation from Facebook to add a friend.

"The spammers included a zip attachment that purports to contain a picture in order to entice the recipient to double-click on it. The attached file is actually a Trojan horse," WebSense said.

To read the Original Article...

Cyber criminals target Facebook Users

Posted Michael Corey,

Founder & CEO, Ntirety

www.ntirety.com

As you are well aware if you read my previous blog entry, Microsoft has just released a new crtical patch Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-067 

Here are some FAQ's

What is the scope of the vulnerability?

This is a remote code execution vulnerability. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system remotely. On Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 systems, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability over RPC without authentication to run arbitrary code. It is possible that this vulnerability could be used in the crafting of a wormable exploit. If successfully exploited, an attacker could then install programs or view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.

What causes the vulnerability? 

The vulnerability is caused by the Windows Server service not properly handling specially crafted RPC requests.

What is the Server service? 

The Server service provides RPC support, file and print support, and named pipe sharing over the network. The Server service allows the sharing of your local resources (such as disks and printers) so that other users on the network can access them. It also allows named pipe communication between applications running on other computers and your computer, which is used for RPC.

What is RPC? 

Remote Procedure Call (RPC) is a protocol that a program can use to request a service from a program located on another computer in a network. RPC helps with interoperability because the program using RPC does not have to understand the network protocols that are supporting communication. In RPC, the requesting program is the client and the service-providing program is the server.

What might an attacker use the vulnerability to do? 

 An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of the affected system.

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability? 

An attacker could try to exploit the vulnerability by sending a specially crafted message to an affected system. On Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 systems, any anonymous user with access to the target network could deliver a specially crafted network packet to the affected system in order to exploit this vulnerability. On Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 systems, however, only an authenticated user with access to the target network could deliver a specially crafted network packet to the affected system in order to exploit this vulnerability.

What systems are primarily at risk from the vulnerability?

While all workstations and servers are at risk regarding this issue, systems running Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003 are primarily at risk due to the unique characteristics of the vulnerability and affected code path.

What does the update do? 

The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting the manner in which the Server service handles RPC requests.

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 attempting to exploit the vulnerability. However, when the security bulletin was released, Microsoft had not seen any examples of proof of concept code published.

Does applying this security update help protect customers from the code that attempts to exploit this vulnerability? 

Yes. This security update addresses the vulnerability that is currently being exploited. The vulnerability that has been addressed has been assigned the Common Vulnerability and Exposure number. CVE-2008-4250

Here are some additional resources you should be aware of.......

Full bulletin for MS08-067 is available at

File information details can be found in

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 958644

 ******

Security Updates Are Available from...

Office Update

Microsoft Update

Windows Update
 

Microsoft TechNet Security TechCenter as a source of security information:

Security updates are also available from

the Microsoft Download Center

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

Note this was updated from original Post

Posted by Michael Corey, Founder & CEO

www.ntirety.com

Many a company did not take security serious enough and has paid the price. The problem is not only did they pay the price, but so did there customers. Too many times in the past few years, have I had to request new credit cards to protect myself.

My oldest child who was  attending college even had his identity stolen. I wrote a blog entry with lots of useful information....

Identity Theft Hits Home - Lessons Learned

•  Why backend database testing is just as vital as front end testing

•  How to avoid backend database malfunctions that cause things like: system deadlock, data corruption, poor database performance, and data loss

•  An overview of backend database testing (functional vs. structural)

•  An overview of high profile database attacks in the past few years

By attending this event you will walk away with an understanding of the overall benefits of a database vulnerability assessment (or database penetration test) and some basic ideas on how to structure your own database security testing policies.

To learn more and sign up to attend the Webinar .......

Posted Michael Corey, Ntirety

www.ntirety.com

I just saw this article on Techcrunch.com I want to share with everyone. The Article is

Posted by Michael Corey

www.ntirety.com