LNK zero
Vulnerabilities mentionedAll →
| CVE | Vulnerability | CVSS | EPSS | Flags | Affected | Exposure | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2010-2568 | Remote Code Execution in Microsoft Windows via Malicious Shortcut (LNK) Parsing CVE-2010-2568 is an input-validation flaw (CWE-20) in how Microsoft Windows parses shortcut files, allowing malicious code to execute when the operating system merely displays the icon of a malicious shortcut (.lnk) file. Triggering requires nothing more than the Windows shell rendering the shortcut's icon — for example when browsing a folder containing the file, a vector widely abused via USB drives and network shares in incidents tied to Stuxnet and Gauss. A successful attacker gains arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the logged-on user, suitable for initial access or lateral movement. All Microsoft Windows systems as listed by CISA are affected; the provided data does not specify exact version ranges. Exploitation is confirmed in the wild: the flaw is on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-09-15), carries a 91.3% EPSS probability of exploitation (100th percentile), and related headlines report Microsoft having to re-issue the fix more than once for Stuxnet-related attacks. Do: Apply Microsoft updates per vendor instructions (CISA's required action); since headlines indicate this LNK fix was re-released multiple times, verify systems carry the latest cumulative Windows updates rather than only the original patch. Until patched, avoid browsing untrusted removable drives or network shares with a shell that renders shortcut icons, and monitor for LNK-delivered malware. | — | 91% | KEV |
| mass≈1 billion+ Windows installations worldwide (unknown share unpatched; legacy versions carry the highest risk) |
Full article319 words · extracted from securelist.com · click to collapse
Over the weekend I spent more time looking into the zero-day LNK (shortcut) Windows vulnerability that Aleks blogged about last week. It’s now been classified as CVE-2010-2568 and is being actively exploited in the wild.
My main conclusion is that this vulnerability is a fundamental part of how Windows handles LNK files. This means there are two huge negatives – firstly, as this functionality is pretty standard, it’s going to be harder to create effective generic detections which don’t cause false positives.
Secondly, I suspect Microsoft is going to have a very hard time patching this one. There doesn’t seem to be any security model associated with how Windows handles shortcuts. This whole situation reminds me a bit of vulnerabilities in the WMF format – it’s another case of legacy code coming back to bite Microsoft.
We’ve released generic detection for malicious LNK files which try to exploit the feature. I think that the LNK format will start receiving a lot more attention now, both from the good guys, and the bad, so do take a look at the mitigations put up by Microsoft. I’m sure it will be time well spent, as I fully expect this vulnerability to be widely exploited while we’re waiting for the patch.
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Text extracted automatically; images, tables and formatting may be missing. Original: https://securelist.com/lnk-zero-day-the-fundamentals/29617/