[BreachExchange] Microsoft Patches Wormable Vuln in Windows 7, 2003, XP, Server 2008

[Destry Winant]

https://www.darkreading.com/endpoint/microsoft-patches-wormable-vuln-in-windows-7-2003-xp-server-2008/d/d-id/1334709

Microsoft releases security updates for some out-of-support systems to
fix a bug that could be weaponized as a worm if exploited.

Microsoft today took the unusual step of issuing security fixes for
out-of-support systems to patch a vulnerability it fears could be
wormable if exploited. CVE-2019-0708 affects in-support systems
Windows 7, Server 2008, and 2008 R2 and out-of-support Windows 2003
and XP.

It's a critical remote code execution flaw in Remote Desktop Services
(RDS), formerly known as Terminal Services, which affects some older
versions of Windows. CVE-2019-0708 is pre-authentication and requires
no user interaction, meaning any future malware could propagate across
vulnerable machines.

Authenticated attackers could exploit this vulnerability by connecting
to a target system via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and sending
specially crafted requests. Microsoft says RDP itself is not
vulnerable; however, it is a component of an attack chain exploiting
RDS. If successful, an attacker could execute code on the target
system; install programs; view, edit, or delete data; or create new
accounts with full user rights. Today's fix corrects the way Remote
Desktop Services handles connection requests.

Simon Pope, director of incident response for the Microsoft Security
Response Center, says it's "highly likely" malicious actors will write
an exploit for this vulnerability and build it into malware. Microsoft
has not seen any evidence of CVE-2019-0708 being exploited in the
wild, but it urges companies to update immediately, warning the bug
could be weaponized as a worm.

The impact is limited to older versions of Windows that are either out
of support or approaching the end-of-support life cycle. Vulnerable
in-support systems with automatic updates enabled are protected.
Vulnerable out-of-support versions can find guidance here.

There is a partial mitigation on affected systems with Network Level
Authentication (NLA) enabled, Pope explains in a blog post. These
systems are protected from wormable malware or advanced threats that
could exploit this vulnerability; NLA requires authentication before
the vuln can be triggered. These systems are exposed to RCE if an
attacker has valid credentials.

It's worth noting CVE-2019-0708 does not affect newer versions of
Windows, including Windows 10, 8.1, and 8, as well as Windows Server
2019, Server 2016, Server 2012 R2, and Server 2012.

CVE-2019-0708 isn't the only vulnerability Microsoft fixed for this
month's Patch Tuesday update. The company issued patches for 79 CVEs,
22 of which were deemed Critical in severity and 57 of which were
ranked Important. Two were publicly known; one is under active attack.