ID CVE-2003-0907
Summary Help and Support Center in Microsoft Windows XP SP1 does not properly validate HCP URLs, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via quotation marks in an hcp:// URL, which are not quoted when constructing the argument list to HelpCtr.exe.
References
Vulnerable Configurations
  • cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_xp:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_xp:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
  • cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2003:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
    cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2003:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
CVSS
Base: 5.1 (as of 13-02-2024 - 18:00)
Impact:
Exploitability:
CWE CWE-88
CAPEC
  • OS Command Injection
    In this type of an attack, an adversary injects operating system commands into existing application functions. An application that uses untrusted input to build command strings is vulnerable. An adversary can leverage OS command injection in an application to elevate privileges, execute arbitrary commands and compromise the underlying operating system.
  • Parameter Injection
    An adversary manipulates the content of request parameters for the purpose of undermining the security of the target. Some parameter encodings use text characters as separators. For example, parameters in a HTTP GET message are encoded as name-value pairs separated by an ampersand (&). If an attacker can supply text strings that are used to fill in these parameters, then they can inject special characters used in the encoding scheme to add or modify parameters. For example, if user input is fed directly into an HTTP GET request and the user provides the value "myInput&new_param=myValue", then the input parameter is set to myInput, but a new parameter (new_param) is also added with a value of myValue. This can significantly change the meaning of the query that is processed by the server. Any encoding scheme where parameters are identified and separated by text characters is potentially vulnerable to this attack - the HTTP GET encoding used above is just one example.
  • Using Meta-characters in E-mail Headers to Inject Malicious Payloads
    This type of attack involves an attacker leveraging meta-characters in email headers to inject improper behavior into email programs. Email software has become increasingly sophisticated and feature-rich. In addition, email applications are ubiquitous and connected directly to the Web making them ideal targets to launch and propagate attacks. As the user demand for new functionality in email applications grows, they become more like browsers with complex rendering and plug in routines. As more email functionality is included and abstracted from the user, this creates opportunities for attackers. Virtually all email applications do not list email header information by default, however the email header contains valuable attacker vectors for the attacker to exploit particularly if the behavior of the email client application is known. Meta-characters are hidden from the user, but can contain scripts, enumerations, probes, and other attacks against the user's system.
  • HTTP Parameter Pollution (HPP)
    An attacker overrides or adds HTTP GET/POST parameters by injecting query string delimiters. Via HPP it may be possible to override existing hardcoded HTTP parameters, modify the application behaviors, access and, potentially exploit, uncontrollable variables, and bypass input validation checkpoints and WAF rules.
  • Flash Parameter Injection
    An adversary takes advantage of improper data validation to inject malicious global parameters into a Flash file embedded within an HTML document. Flash files can leverage user-submitted data to configure the Flash document and access the embedding HTML document. These 'FlashVars' are most often passed to the Flash file via URL arguments or from the Object or Embed tag within the embedding HTML document. If these FlashVars are not properly sanitized, an adversary may be able to embed malicious content (such as scripts) into the HTML document. The injected parameters can also provide the adversary control over other objects within the Flash file as well as full control over the parent document's DOM model. As such, this is a form of HTTP parameter injection, but the abilities granted to the Flash document (such as access to a page's document model, including associated cookies) make this attack more flexible. Flash Parameter Injection attacks can also preface further attacks such as various forms of Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks in addition to Session Hijacking attacks.
Access
VectorComplexityAuthentication
NETWORK HIGH NONE
Impact
ConfidentialityIntegrityAvailability
PARTIAL PARTIAL PARTIAL
cvss-vector via4 AV:N/AC:H/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
oval via4
  • accepted 2011-05-16T04:00:03.987-04:00
    class vulnerability
    contributors
    • name Harvey Rubinovitz
      organization The MITRE Corporation
    • name Harvey Rubinovitz
      organization The MITRE Corporation
    • name Christine Walzer
      organization The MITRE Corporation
    • name John Hoyland
      organization Centennial Software
    • name Anna Min
      organization BigFix, Inc
    • name Shane Shaffer
      organization G2, Inc.
    • name Sudhir Gandhe
      organization Telos
    • name Shane Shaffer
      organization G2, Inc.
    description Help and Support Center in Microsoft Windows XP SP1 does not properly validate HCP URLs, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via quotation marks in an hcp:// URL, which are not quoted when constructing the argument list to HelpCtr.exe.
    family windows
    id oval:org.mitre.oval:def:1000
    status accepted
    submitted 2004-04-14T12:00:00.000-04:00
    title Windows XP Help Center Command Insertion Vulnerability
    version 73
  • accepted 2006-09-27T12:29:40.350-04:00
    class vulnerability
    contributors
    • name Harvey Rubinovitz
      organization The MITRE Corporation
    • name Harvey Rubinovitz
      organization The MITRE Corporation
    • name John Hoyland
      organization Centennial Software
    description Help and Support Center in Microsoft Windows XP SP1 does not properly validate HCP URLs, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via quotation marks in an hcp:// URL, which are not quoted when constructing the argument list to HelpCtr.exe.
    family windows
    id oval:org.mitre.oval:def:904
    status accepted
    submitted 2004-04-14T12:00:00.000-04:00
    title Windows Server 2003 Help Center Command Insertion Vulnerability
    version 66
refmap via4
bid 10119
bugtraq 20040413 [Full-Disclosure] iDEFENSE Security Advisory 04.13.04 - Microsoft Help and Support
cert TA04-104A
cert-vn VU#260588
ciac O-114
fulldisc 20040413 Microsoft Help and Support Center argument injection vulnerability
misc http://www.idefense.com/application/poi/display?id=100&type=vulnerabilities
xf win-hcpurl-code-execution(15704)
Last major update 13-02-2024 - 18:00
Published 01-06-2004 - 04:00
Last modified 13-02-2024 - 18:00
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