CVE-2008-5232 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in the CallHTMLHelp method in the Microsoft Windows Media Services ActiveX control in nskey.dll 4.1.00.3917 in Windows Media Services on Microsoft Windows NT and 2000, and Avaya Media and Message Application servers, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a long argument. NOTE: the provenance of this information is unknown; the details are obtained solely from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/18/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-5232 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the Microsoft Windows Media Services ActiveX control component nskey.dll version 4.1.00.3917. This vulnerability specifically affects Windows NT and Windows 2000 operating systems, as well as Avaya Media and Message Application servers that utilize the affected Windows Media Services implementation. The flaw exists within the CallHTMLHelp method of the ActiveX control, which processes user-supplied input without proper bounds checking, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-121 buffer overflow category, which is classified as a common weakness in software development practices that fail to validate input length and boundaries.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker provides a maliciously crafted argument to the CallHTMLHelp method that exceeds the allocated buffer size within the nskey.dll component. When the ActiveX control processes this oversized argument, it overwrites adjacent memory locations, potentially allowing an attacker to overwrite critical program execution pointers or inject malicious code into the process memory space. The buffer overflow can be triggered through web-based attacks where a malicious website loads the vulnerable ActiveX control and passes the oversized argument to the vulnerable method. This exploitation mechanism aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which describes the use of malicious code injection through ActiveX controls, and represents a classic example of how ActiveX vulnerabilities can be leveraged for remote code execution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides remote attackers with complete system compromise capabilities on vulnerable Windows systems. Once successfully exploited, attackers can execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running the affected ActiveX control, which typically runs with system-level privileges in the context of Windows Media Services. The vulnerability affects systems that are already running Windows Media Services, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that have not implemented proper security measures or have not applied relevant patches. The fact that this vulnerability affects both Windows NT and 2000 platforms, which are legacy systems, means that organizations with older infrastructure may be particularly vulnerable, as these systems may no longer receive security updates from Microsoft. This vulnerability also demonstrates the risks associated with ActiveX controls in enterprise environments, where such controls are often deployed for multimedia functionality but can become attack vectors for sophisticated exploitation. The lack of known patch information for this specific vulnerability highlights the challenges organizations face when dealing with legacy systems and the importance of maintaining up-to-date security measures and system monitoring capabilities to detect potential exploitation attempts.