Microsoft finally plugs 8-year old security bug

Posted on Thursday, November 13 2008 @ 1:08 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
CNET reports Microsoft has finally fixed a security flaw that was discovered in 2000, with code first published in March 2001.
That means that a known security vulnerability related to a Microsoft authentication protocol sat on your Windows box for more than seven years, waiting for Microsoft to get around to fixing it:

This vulnerability allows an attacker to redirect an incoming SMB connection back to the machine it came from and then access the victim machine using the victim's own credentials. (Hence the term "credential reflection").

In typical Windows XP configurations, where SMB sharing is enabled, and the user is a member of the Administrators group, this allows the attacker to easily take over the machine. Public tools, including a Metasploit module, are available to perform this attack.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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