CVE-2007-1090 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Windows Explorer on Windows XP and 2003 allows remote user-assisted attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a malformed WMF file, which triggers the crash when the user browses the folder.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/17/2018
Microsoft Windows Explorer vulnerability CVE-2007-1090 represents a critical denial of service flaw that affects Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 systems. This vulnerability resides within the Windows graphics handling subsystem where Windows Explorer processes Windows Metafile (WMF) format files. The flaw manifests when a user browses a folder containing a specially crafted malformed WMF file, causing the Explorer process to crash and terminate unexpectedly. This behavior constitutes a remote user-assisted denial of service condition since an attacker can place the malicious file on a network share or web server that users might browse. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-129 Input Validation and CWE-20 Improper Input Validation, reflecting the insufficient validation of WMF file structures during processing. From an operational security perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to enterprise environments where users frequently browse shared network drives or access web content containing potentially malicious files. The attack requires minimal privileges and can be executed through social engineering or by compromising web servers, making it particularly dangerous in corporate networks. The technical implementation involves the Windows GDI (Graphics Device Interface) subsystem failing to properly validate the structure of WMF files, leading to memory corruption when attempting to render or process malformed graphics data. The vulnerability can be exploited across various network protocols including SMB, HTTP, and FTP, expanding the attack surface significantly. When Windows Explorer encounters the malformed WMF file, it attempts to render the graphics data using the GDI functions, which leads to stack corruption or heap corruption depending on how the malformed data is structured. The crash occurs during the normal file browsing operation, making it difficult for users to distinguish between legitimate file browsing and malicious file access. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 Network Denial of Service and T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter, as it can be used to disrupt normal business operations through system instability. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption since it can be chained with other vulnerabilities to create more sophisticated attacks or used to mask other malicious activities. Organizations should consider this vulnerability as part of a broader security posture assessment, particularly in environments where users have extensive network access rights. The exploitation of this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of input validation in graphics processing libraries and highlights the need for robust sanitization of external data sources. Security patches for this vulnerability were released as part of Microsoft's regular security updates, but many organizations failed to deploy these patches promptly, leaving systems exposed to potential exploitation. The vulnerability's persistence in older operating systems underscores the ongoing challenges of maintaining security in legacy environments and the importance of proper lifecycle management for operating systems. Network administrators should implement monitoring solutions to detect unusual Explorer process behavior and consider implementing file type restrictions or content filtering for WMF files in critical network shares.