December 2012 Microsoft Security Bulletins
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2010-3333 | Stack Buffer Overflow in Microsoft Office RTF Parsing Allows Remote Code Execution CVE-2010-3333 is a stack-based buffer overflow in the way Microsoft Office parses RTF (Rich Text Format) data. An attacker triggers it by convincing a user to open a specially crafted RTF file, including an RTF email that is handed to Office for rendering, with no authentication required beyond the user's action. Successful exploitation allows remote code execution in the context of the logged-on user, giving the attacker a foothold on the workstation. Any Microsoft Office installation within the affected range identified in the December 2012 Microsoft security bulletin is exposed; the source data does not enumerate specific version numbers. The flaw is actively exploited: it is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-03-03, ransomware association unknown) and was used in targeted espionage, notably Kaspersky's 'Red October' campaign, with EPSS estimating an 89.5% probability of exploitation within 30 days (100th percentile). Do: Apply the Microsoft updates from the December 2012 security bulletin that fixes this RTF parsing flaw across all Office/Word installations, prioritized given the ~90% EPSS score and CISA KEV listing. As interim mitigation, block or inspect inbound RTF attachments at email gateways and configure Outlook to read email in plain text so RTF content does not open automatically in Office. Inventory legacy or unpatched Office installations that may have missed the 2012 update, since these remain the likely current exposure. | — | 89% | KEV |
| masshundreds of millions of Office users/installations at time of disclosure (current unpatched legacy installs unknown) | |
| CVE-2012-0158 | Remote Code Execution in Microsoft MSCOMCTL.OCX (Windows Common Controls) CVE-2012-0158 is a remote code execution flaw in Microsoft's MSCOMCTL.OCX, the Windows Common Controls ActiveX component, where improper handling of crafted input allows memory corruption and code execution. It is typically triggered when an application that uses the control (most commonly Microsoft Office) processes specially crafted content, such as a malicious document or file, meaning a victim usually has to open attacker-supplied content. Successful exploitation lets an attacker run arbitrary code and take complete control of the affected system with the privileges of the current user. Any Windows system carrying a vulnerable copy of MSCOMCTL.OCX — including systems where the control was redistributed by legacy applications — is affected, which makes the potential population very large. Exploitation is confirmed and ongoing: the flaw is in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-11-03) with known ransomware use, and EPSS assigns it the maximum reported probability of exploitation within 30 days. Do: Apply the Microsoft security update for MSCOMCTL.OCX (per vendor instructions, per CISA's required action) on all systems, prioritizing endpoints and servers that open Office documents. Because exploitation commonly arrives via malicious documents, treat unsolicited Office/RTF attachments with suspicion and verify that applications that redistribute MSCOMCTL.OCX have installed a patched copy. Scan the estate for the presence and version of MSCOMCTL.OCX, especially on legacy Windows/Office installations that may be missed by routine patching. | — | 100% | KEV ransomware |
| masshundreds of millions of Windows systems potentially affected | |
| CVE-2012-2539 | Remote Code Execution in Microsoft Word via Crafted RTF Documents CVE-2012-2539 is a remote code execution flaw in Microsoft Word that mishandles crafted RTF (Rich Text Format) data, allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code as the logged-in user or crash Word in a denial of service. The flaw is triggered when Word processes a malicious RTF document, typically delivered as an email attachment or downloaded file; because Word also renders RTF content, simply opening or previewing attacker-supplied content can be enough to trigger it. Any user of an affected, unpatched Word installation who opens untrusted RTF documents is exposed; Microsoft shipped the fix in its December 2012 Word security bulletin (MS12-079). The vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-03-28), confirming exploitation in the wild, and EPSS assigns a 53.2% probability of exploitation within 30 days (99th percentile), though no public PoC is known and ransomware use is unknown. Do: Apply the Microsoft Word security update from the December 2012 bulletin (MS12-079) on any Office install still in service, per CISA's required action to apply vendor updates. Until patched, do not open RTF documents from untrusted sources and confirm whether legacy 2012-era Word builds remain in use in your environment. | — | 53% | KEV |
| mass≫1M Word installations worldwide (hundreds of millions of Office seats deployed; residual unpatched legacy installs plausibly in the millions) |
Full article798 words · extracted from securelist.com · click to collapse
The folks at the Microsoft Security Response Center are winding down 2012 with another full release of seven Security Bulletins containing fixes for memory corruption on application, server, and system code along with a Certificate Bypass problem and set of fixes for Oracle Outside In software components. Within the seven Bulletins, they are patching at least 11 vulnerabilities, accurately described in the Advanced notification for this month. The MSRC recommends that their Internet Explorer (MS12-077) and Microsoft Word (MS12-079) updates are addressed asap.
The December 2012 Microsoft Security Bulletin Release fixes a varying array of versions of software and platforms per Bulletin. For consumers, that mostly means ensuring that the Microsoft Update software is enabled, run, and selected patches applied. For the vast majority of Windows customers, this month’s release also requires that customers reboot their systems following the updates – the Internet Explorer, the kernel level font parsing updates and the file handling updates all require a reboot and hotpatching is not supported. The lack of hotpatch support means that the fix is not enabled on the system until it is rebooted. For IT folks in large and small organizations, this month’s Release also requires some time set aside to understand whether or not your organization is running the versions of software requiring patches and accordingly address your environment.
The Microsoft Internet Explorer code maintains three different use-after-free vulnerabilities that are being patched this month. This “use-after-free” category of bugs is continuing to prove very difficult to stamp out, even in meaty, prevalent attack vectors like Internet Explorer. It was this sort of vulnerability that was abused in the 2010 Aurora cyber-espionage attacks on Google, Adobe, and the long list of other international corporate names that continue to maintain their incidents undisclosed and in the dark. At least one of these Internet Explorer vulnerabilities is likely to have exploit code developed against it.
As a vector of delivery for spearphish attacks, Microsoft Office seems to me to be the most popular target in the second half of the year. CVE-2012-0158 and CVE-2010-3333 continue to be identified in malicious attachments (both malicious Word and Excel files) in targeted attacks across the globe, while Adobe Reader and Flash, which were heavily abused, almost have fallen off the map. I don’t know if this coincides with the release and distribution of the newly armored Adobe Reader X software and more sandboxing for Flash, or simply that offensive security investment in late summer had been directed toward producing toolkits that pump out the Office exploits we are seeing now. Either way, be sure to patch this Word flaw CVE-2012-2539 asap.
Unfortunately, we have seen kernel level exploits bundled into mass-exploitation kits like Blackhole. The Duqu exploit, previously used in very targeted attacks throughout the middle east, is being re-used in this manner. And MS12-078 this month patches kernel mode RCE for OpenType and TrueType font parsing flaws. The recent mass-exploitation activity increases and interest in kernel level font parsing vulnerabilities coincides with the open source github release of Microsoft font fuzzing tools and projects.
More of the Oracle Outside In code is being updated this month with a pile of publicly known critical vulnerabilities being patched much like in August of this year. Critical and Important Microsoft Exchange, DirectPlay, and IPHTTPS components are also being patched this month.
Also following up the annnouncement of the Microsoft software update release, Microsoft announced the availability of security updates for Adobe Flash that effect Internet Explorer users, among others. The flaws include a RCE buffer overflow vulnerability (CVE-2012-5676), RCE integer overflow vulnerability (CVE-2012-5677), and memory corruption vulnerability (CVE-2012-5678). For my production workstations and mobile devices, I’ve got multiple web browsers, and each one uses a different implementation of Flash. In my case, on my production systems, I visit this page with each browser to determine whether or not I have the lastest version of Flash. Android systems are effected too, and you can find more information at Adobe’s APSB12-27. Perhaps we will see a resurgence of Flash exploitation over the next few weeks and into the New Year.
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Text extracted automatically; images, tables and formatting may be missing. Original: https://securelist.com/december-2012-microsoft-security-bulletins/57660/