Workaround for Microsoft Windows Media Player ActiveX Codec Retrieval Vulnerability (MS10-027)

Vulnerability
Protection

Check Point Reference:	SBP-2010-15
Date Published:
Severity:
Last Updated:
Source:	Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-027
Industry Reference(s):	CVE-2010-0268
Protection Provided by:	Security Gateway R70 VPN-1 NGX R65 VSX NGX R65 IPS-1 IPS-1 IPS-1 NGX R65
Who is Vulnerable? Windows Media Player 9 Series on Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4 Windows Media Player 9 Series on Windows XP SP2 Windows Media Player 9 Series on Windows XP SP3
Vulnerability Description A remote code execution vulnerability has been reported in the Windows Media Player's ActiveX control. Windows Media Player is a feature of the Windows operating system for personal computers. It is used for playing audio and video. A remote attacker may exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on a vulnerable system.

Update/Patch Available
Apply patches:
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-027

Vulnerability Details
The vulnerability is due to an error in the Windows Media Player ActiveX control that incorrectly handling the clean up after Windows Media Player codec retrieval from the Microsoft codec server and subsequently the media control is removed from the original Web site. A remote attacker could trigger this flaw by convincing a victim to enter a a malicious Web site that hosts a media file for which Windows Media Player does not have the codec. When Windows Media player requests the codec from the Microsoft codec server, the malicious Web site could remove the media file from the page. Successful exploitation of this issue may allow the attacker to take complete control of an affected system.

Protection Overview
This protection will detect and block the Microsoft Windows Media Player ActiveX control.

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

In order for the protection to be activated, update your Security Gateway/VPN-1 product to the latest IPS/SmartDefense update. For information on how to update IPS/SmartDefense, go to SBP-2006-05, Protection tab and select the version of your choice.

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 Microsoft Windows Media Player ActiveX Codec Retrieval 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: Microsoft Windows Media Player ActiveX codec retrieval

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:

Microsoft Windows Media Player ActiveX Codec Retrieval

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

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 ActiveX Parser protection group.
3. Click Microsoft Media Player ActiveX Remote Code Execution (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: Badfiles ActiveX class in HTML file Alert/Filter
Description: Microsoft Media Player ActiveX Remote Code Execution

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