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Workaround for Microsoft Windows Kernel-Mode Drivers Win32k EOT Parsing Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (MS09-065)

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Check Point Reference: SBP-2009-21
Date Published:
Severity:
Source: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-065
Industry Reference(s): CVE-2009-2514
Protection Provided by: Security Gateway
  • R70
VPN-1
  • NGX R65
VSX
  • NGX R65
IPS-1
  • IPS-1
  • IPS-1 NGX R65
Who is Vulnerable?
Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4
Windows XP SP2
Windows XP SP3
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition SP2
Windows Server 2003 SP2
Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition SP2
Windows Server 2003 with SP2 (Itanium)
Vulnerability Description
A remote code execution vulnerability has been reported in the way the Windows kernel-mode drivers are parsing Windows Embedded OpenType (EOT) font code. The Windows kernel is the core of the operating system. It provides system level services such as device management and memory management, allocates processor time to processes, and manages error handling. EOT fonts are a compact form of fonts designed for use on web pages. A remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability via a specially crafted EOT file. Successful exploitation may allow execution of arbitrary code on a vulnerable system.
Update/Patch Available
Apply patches:
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-065
Vulnerability Details
The vulnerability is due to an error in the Windows kernel-mode drivers that fail to properly parse font code when building a table of directory entries. A remote attacker may exploit this issue via a malformed EOT file. Successful exploitation of this issue allows execution of arbitrary code once the malformed file is being opened or previewed on an affected system.

Protection Overview
This protection detects and blocks the transferring of EOT files over HTTP. No update is required to address this vulnerability. IPS-1 has been preemptive against this vulnerability since July 17, 2009.

Since the protection offered in this advisory may degrade performance and block access to legitimate files, users are advised to use this protection as a workaround till all systems are patched.

Users are protected against this vulnerability if the Protection against Microsoft Windows Embedded Web Fonts Buffer Overflow addressed in CPAI-2006-010 has been applied.

To configure the defense, select your product from the list below and follow the related protection steps.

Security Gateway R70

How Can I Protect My Network?
1. In the IPS tab, click Protections > By Protocol > Application Intelligence > Content Protection.
2. In the right pane, double-click the EOT Files protection.
3. In the Protection Details window, click on Edit. Choose the protection's Action (Override IPS Policy with: Prevent/Detect), and apply Additional Settings.
4. Install policy on all modules.

How Do I Know if My Network is Under Attack?
SmartView Tracker will log the following entries:

Attack Name: Content Protection Violation
Attack Information: EOT file

VPN-1 NGX R65 & VPN-1 VSX NGX R65

How Can I Protect My Network?
1. In the SmartDefense tab, click Application Intelligence > Content Protection.
2. Select the following protection:

Block EOT files

3. In the configuration pane, under Settings > Mode, check Active.
4. Install policy on all modules.

How Do I Know if My Network is Under Attack?
SmartView Tracker will log the following entries:

Attack Name: Content Protection Violation
Attack Information: EOT file blocked

IPS-1 & IPS-1 NGX R65

How Can I Protect My Network?

1. In the IPS-1 Policy Manager, click on the Protection tab.
2. In the Protection tree, click Application Intelligence > Badfiles, and select the Filename Recorder protection group.
3. Click User-defined badfile seen (IPS-1 NGX R65 only).
4. In the configuration pane, under Settings, check Active.
5. Click on Install Policy.

How Do I Know if My Network is Under Attack?

Upon attack, the following entries will be logged:

Alert Name: BADFILENAME
Description: User-defined badfile seen