Microsoft Security Bulletin (MS99-030)

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The following is a Security  Bulletin from the Microsoft Product Security
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Microsoft Security Bulletin (MS99-030)
--------------------------------------

Updated Patch Available for Office "ODBC Vulnerabilities"
Originally Posted: August 20, 1999
Revised: August 23, 1999
Re-released: October 08, 1999

Summary
=======
Microsoft has released an updated patch that eliminates security
vulnerabilities in the  Microsoft(r) Jet database engine. A patch originally
was released in August 1999, but an  additional variant of one
vulnerability, the "Text I-ISAM" vulnerability, was subsequently
discovered. The new variant could allow a database query to delete files on
a user's computer.   This bulletin has been re-released to discuss the
vulnerabilities in their entirety.

The vulnerabilities in total could affect any application that runs atop
Jet, and could allow a  database query to take virtually any action on a
user's computer. Microsoft recommends that all  customers who are running
applications that use Jet, especially users of Microsoft Office 97 and
Office 2000, install the patch. Customers who applied the original patch
should apply the new one  to ensure that they are fully protected against
all variants. Customers who did not previously  apply the patch need only
apply the new version.

Additional information and frequently asked questions regarding
this vulnerability can be found at
http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-030faq.asp

Issue
=====
Jet is a database engine used by Microsoft products such as Microsoft
Office97 and Office2000.  Two vulnerabilities exist in Jet:
 - The "VBA Shell" vulnerability, which affects all versions of
   Jet except Jet 4.0. An operating system command embedded within
   a database query could be executed when the query is processed.
   This would allow a spreadsheet, database, or other application
   file that contained such a query to take virtually any action
   on the user's computer when the query was executed.
 - The "Text I-ISAM" vulnerability, which affects all versions of
   Jet. Jet provides a way to modify the contents of text files, as a
   way of allowing data exchange between it and other systems. However,
   a malicious user could use this capability to modify system files via a
   database query. The original patch for this vulnerability allowed "drop
   table" operations to be used, which could allow files on the user's
   computer to be deleted; the new patch eliminates this variant.

Microsoft Office uses the Jet engine, and Office users are particularly at
risk from these  vulnerabilities. (The "VBA Shell" vulnerability affects all
versions of Office prior to  Office2000, and also affects one member of the
Office2000 suite, Access2000. The "Text I-ISAM"  vulnerability affects all
versions of Office). The vulnerabilities are an especially serious  threat
to Office users for three reasons:
 - Scenarios for exploiting these vulnerabilities via Office documents
   are publicly known.
 - The ubiquity of Office would make it an attractive target for
   mounting attacks via these vulnerabilities.
 - The ability of Office documents to perform Document Object
   Hosting would permit users to be attacked simply by visiting a
   malicious user's web site. (Please note that a tool that prevents this
   attack was included as part of the original patch for this issue, so
   customers who used it are no longer vulnerable to attacks via web
   pages).

Microsoft Jet also is used by several other Microsoft products, as well as
many third party  applications. However, the ability to exploit this
vulnerability through these products is highly  dependent on the specific
application. Although Microsoft has not identified a means of  exploiting
these vulnerabilities through any Microsoft products except Office, we
recommend that  all customers who have Microsoft Jet installed on their
computer update it. This will ensure that  they are protected against any
possible attacks that may be developed.

Affected Software Versions
==========================
 - Microsoft Jet, all versions

NOTE: Jet serves as the database engine for a number of Microsoft products,
including but not  limited to:
 - Microsoft Office
 - Microsoft Visual Studio
 - Microsoft Publisher
 - Microsoft Streets & Trips

Jet also serves as the database engine for many third-party software
products. The patch does not  require any change to any of the applications
that use Jet; instead, it operates directly on the  Jet database engine and
restores proper functionality to it.

Patch Availability
==================
 - http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/articles/mdac_typ.htm

NOTES:
 - The above web site provides separate pages for Office97 and
   Office2000. This is done in order to provide specific information
   about the vulnerabilities affecting the products. The patch for
   Office97 and Office2000 (and indeed for all affected products) is
   exactly the same, and both pages link to exactly the same patch.
   The patch will determine what version(s) of Jet are present on
   the machine and apply all of the needed corrections.
 - The patch is suitable for use by all language packs.
 - The patch applies to Jet 3.5 and all subsequent versions. Older
   versions of Jet are no longer supported, and we recommend that
   affected customers upgrade to a supported version.
 - The patch is suitable for widespread deployment via Microsoft(r)
   Systems Management Server(r). Users who wish to manually apply
   patches for specific versions of Jet should consult the FAQ for
   information on how to do this.

More Information
================
Please see the following references for more information related to this
issue. Please note that  it may take 24 hours from the original posting of
this bulletin for all of the KB articles to be  visible on the Microsoft web
site.

 - Microsoft Security Bulletin MS99-030: Frequently Asked Questions,
   http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-030faq.asp.
 - Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article Q239114,
   ACC2000: Updated Version of Microsoft Jet 4.0 Available on MS,
   http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q239/1/14.asp.
 - Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article Q172733,
   Updated Version of Microsoft Jet 3.5 Available on MSL,
   http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q172/7/33.asp.
 - Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article Q239482,
   ACC2000: Jet 4.0 Expression can Execute Unsafe VBA Functions,
   http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q239/4/82.asp.
 - Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article Q239104, Access97: Jet
   Expression can Execute Query with Unsafe VBA Functions,
   http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q239/1/04.asp.
 - Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article Q239471,
   ACC2000: Text I-ISAM Allows Users to Append Lines Into System
   Files,
   http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q239/4/71.asp.
 - Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article Q239105,
   ACC97: Text I-ISAM Allows Users to Append Lines Into System Files,
   http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q239/1/05.asp.
 - Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article Q172733,
   Updated Version of Microsoft Jet 3.5 Available on MSL,
   http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q172/7/33.asp.
 - Microsoft KB article Q141796,
   How to Identify the Jet Database Engine Components,
   http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q141/7/96.asp.
 - Microsoft Security Advisor web site,
   http://www.microsoft.com/security/default.asp.

Obtaining Support on this Issue
===============================
This is a fully supported patch. Information on contacting Microsoft
Technical Support is  available at
http://support.microsoft.com/support/contact/default.asp.

Acknowledgments
===============
Microsoft acknowledges Juan Carlos Cuartango of Spain for bringing this
issue to our attention  and identifying the additional variant of the "Text
I-ISAM" vulnerability.

Revisions
=========
 - August 20, 1999: Bulletin Created.
 - August 23, 1999: Revised to provide updated patch location
 - October 08, 1999: Re-released to provide patch that corrects
   additional variants of the "Text I-ISAM" vulnerability

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