CVE-2009-0320 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Windows XP, Server 2003 and 2008, and Vista exposes I/O activity measurements of all processes, which allows local users to obtain sensitive information, as demonstrated by reading the I/O Other Bytes column in Task Manager (aka taskmgr.exe) to estimate the number of characters that a different user entered at a runas.exe password prompt, related to a "benchmarking attack."
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/16/2025
This vulnerability exists in multiple Microsoft windows operating systems including windows xp server 2003 server 2008 and vista where the system exposes input/output activity measurements for all processes running on the system. the flaw allows local users to access sensitive information through the task manager application by reading the io other bytes column which can be used to estimate the number of characters entered by a different user at a runas.exe password prompt. this represents a significant information disclosure vulnerability that can be exploited for privilege escalation attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the operating system's design where i/o activity measurements are made available to all processes without proper access controls or isolation mechanisms. when users run applications such as runas.exe for elevated privileges, the system tracks the i/o operations including keyboard input and output activities. these measurements are exposed through the task manager interface where the io other bytes column displays the accumulated i/o activity for each process. an attacker can leverage this information to perform timing analysis and statistical inference to deduce sensitive information such as password lengths or character counts entered by other users.
This vulnerability directly relates to the common weakness enumeration category 200 which identifies information exposure through benchmarking attacks and represents a classic example of how system monitoring features can be exploited for malicious purposes. the attack vector requires local system access but can be particularly dangerous in multi-user environments where attackers can monitor other users' activities. the operational impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as it enables attackers to perform credential guessing attacks and password recovery attempts by observing the i/o patterns associated with password entry.
The security implications of this vulnerability are significant as it can be exploited to perform reconnaissance attacks against other users on the same system. attackers can use the information gathered from i/o measurements to target password cracking attempts, particularly when combined with other monitoring techniques. the attack demonstrates how seemingly benign system monitoring features can be weaponized to compromise user security and privacy. this vulnerability highlights the importance of proper access controls and information flow management in operating system design.
Mitigation strategies should focus on implementing proper access controls for system monitoring features and restricting information exposure between user processes. system administrators should consider disabling or limiting access to task manager functionality for non-privileged users and implementing additional security controls such as process isolation and monitoring. organizations should also consider applying the principle of least privilege and ensuring that users only have access to the information necessary for their specific tasks. this vulnerability underscores the importance of regular security assessments and the need for comprehensive security controls that address both direct and indirect information disclosure risks in operating system implementations.