Check Point Advisories

Block MSN Messenger Live 8

Check Point Reference:	CPAI-2006-143
Date Published:	30 Nov 2006
Severity:	Medium
Last Updated:	Thursday 03 May, 2007
Source:	SmartDefense Research Center
Protection Provided by:
Who is Vulnerable?	MSN Messenger Live 8
Vulnerability Description	Windows Live Messenger, formerly and still commonly known as MSN Messenger or MSN, is a freeware instant messaging client for Windows XP and Windows Vista. It is part of Microsoft's Windows Live set of online services. Released on June 19, 2006, MSN Messenger Live 8 has many features including offline conversations, the possibility to share files with other users and more. SmartDefense allows you to block MSN Messenger Live 8.
Vulnerability Details	Instant messaging applications may risk an organization's security in the following ways: 1. Vulnerabilities in IM applications could be exploited to compromise a user's system.   2. An important capability of IM is file transfer that could be exploited by worms to infect a user's system. 3. Using voice data along with file transfers may result in excessive bandwidth utilization.