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<html newsdate="2009-10-19">
<head>
  <title>
        Windows 7 to hit consumers with known security problem
  </title>
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  <h1>Windows 7 to hit consumers with known security problem</h1>
	<h2>FSFE: Microsoft's neglect highlights value of Free Software</h2>

  <p newsteaser="yes">
  Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 7, is currently
  shipping with a potentially serious defect. Ahead of the product's
  global launch on Thursday, Germany's federal IT security agency
  (BSI) has issued a warning <a href="#foot1" id="anchor1">[1]</a> about a high-risk vulnerability in
  the SMB2 protocol. This can be exploited over the network to shut
  down a computer with a Denial of Service (DoS) attack.
</p><p>
  This incident illustrates how proprietary software often poses a
  security risk. "Only Microsoft can fix the problem. But they have
  apparently closed their eyes to this vulnerability for a long time,
  hoping that it wouldn't spoil the retail launch of Windows 7 this
  Thursday," says Karsten Gerloff, President of the Free Software
  Foundation Europe (FSFE).
</p><p>
  Following responsible disclosure practices, the BSI has not
  published details in its announcement (<a href="#bsi">English translation below</a>)
  from October 6. While it is generally a good strategy to give
  vendors time to repair vulnerabilities before announcing them
  publicly, in this case the BSI should consider publishing the full
  details of the problem to put more pressure on Microsoft. The agency
  says that the security hole affects Windows 7 and Windows Vista in
  both their 32-bit and 64-bit versions, as well as Windows Server
  2008. This vulnerability is different from an earlier SMB2 issue <a href="#foot2" id="anchor2">[2]</a>
  for which Microsoft published the patch MS09-050 in September.
</p><p>
  FSFE's Gerloff explains: "Microsoft's software locks its users in,
  so they have to stay even if the company knowingly exposes them to a
  security risk like this. With Free Software like GNU/Linux -
  software that you can study, share and improve - several independent
  entities can fix the problem. Consumers should not support
  Microsoft's negligent behaviour by buying its products. Free
  Software offers an alternative, and is available from many
  independent vendors."
</p><p>
  Microsoft has not yet responded to the BSI's warning. There is no
  indication that the company will manage to fix the gaping hole in
  its flagship operating system before the global launch of Windows 7
  this Thursday. The vulnerability remains open even after Microsoft's
  October patch day.
</p><p>
  The company's security practices have long been a cause for
  concern. In just one recent incident <a href="#foot3" id="anchor3">[3]</a>, Microsoft knew about
  another vulnerability in SMB2 since July 2009. While it did fix the
  problem in the final version of Windows 7 in early August, it did
  nothing to repair the same problem in Windows Vista or Windows
  Server 2008 until an independent security researcher went public
  about the issue. German IT news site Heise speculates that the issue
  ended up on a Microsoft-internal list of low-priority bugs which the
  company tries to fix silently, in order to avoid negative publicity.
</p><p>

<a href="#anchor1" id="foot1">[1]</a> <a href="https://www.cert-bund.de/advisoryshort/CB-K09-0315%20UPDATE%201">Germany's federal IT security agency (BSI) has issued a warning</a><br />
<a href="#anchor2" id="foot2">[2]</a> <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/975497.mspx">Microsoft Security Advisory (975497): Vulnerabilities in SMB Could Allow Remote Code Execution</a><br />
<a href="#anchor3" id="foot3">[3]</a> <a href="http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Microsoft-has-known-of-the-SMB2-hole-for-some-time-832175.html"> Microsoft has known of the SMB2 hole for some time </a>
</p>

 

<hr />

<h2 id="bsi">Translation of the BSI's security advisory: </h2>
<p>
Threat level: "4 high risk" (out of 1-5, with 5 being "very high").<br />
Title:  Microsoft Windows SMB2-Protocol: Another vulnerability allows denial
of service (Windows Vista and Windows 7 vulnerable).<br />
  Date:  2009-10-06<br />
  Software:  Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows 7 x64 Edition, Microsoft
Windows Vista / SP1 / SP2, Microsoft Windows Vista x64 Edition / SP1 / SP2,
Microsoft Windows Server 2008<br />
  Platform:  Windows<br />
  Effect:  Denial-of-Service<br />
  Remoteexploitable:  Yes<br />
  Risk:  high<br />
  Reference:   internal research<br />
Description:
</p>
<p>
Server Message Block (SMB) is a protocol which enables shared access
to printers and files. SMB2 is a new version of this protocol, which
was introduced with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, and which
is also available on Windows 7. Current implementations of SMB2 are
affected by this vulnerability. This is a new vulnerability, not the
one described in Microsoft Security Advisory 975497. The listed
operating systems can therefore still be successfully attacked even
after installation of the updates of Microsoft's October patchday
(MS09-050). 
</p><p>
Currently there is no update or patch available from the vendor. The
only recommended actions are to be aware of and track the
vulnerability. As a workaround it can only be recommended to limit
access to SMB2 servers to trusted systems by firewalls, or to disable
the SMB2 service.
	</p>

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