From secnotif@MICROSOFT.COM Fri Sep 10 23:00:55 1999 From: Microsoft Product Security Resent-From: mea culpa To: MICROSOFT_SECURITY@ANNOUNCE.MICROSOFT.COM Resent-To: jericho@attrition.org Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 15:51:09 -0700 Subject: Microsoft Security Bulletin (MS99-036) The following is a Security Bulletin from the Microsoft Product Security Notification Service. Please do not reply to this message, as it was sent from an unattended mailbox. ******************************** Microsoft Security Bulletin (MS99-036) -------------------------------------- Windows NT 4.0 Does Not Delete Unattended Installation File Originally Posted: September 10, 1999 Summary ======= When an unattended installation of Windows NT 4.0 completes, a copy of the file that contains installation parameters remains on the hard drive. Depending on the method that was to perform the installation and the specific installation parameters that were selected, the file could contain sensitive information, potentially including the local Administrator password. Frequently asked questions regarding this vulnerability can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-036faq.asp Issue ===== When an unattended installation of Windows NT 4.0 is performed, the installation parameters are included in a file named Unattend.txt. A vulnerability exists because the installation process copies the parameter file to a file in %windir%\system32 ($winnt$.inf for a normal unattended installation, or $nt4pre$.inf if Sysprep was used) but does not delete it when the installation completes. By default, this file can be read by any user who can perform an interactive logon. If sensitive information such as account passwords were provided in the installation parameters file, the information could be compromised. As discussed in the FAQ, the degree of risk from this vulnerability varies depending on the particular installation. However, in general, workstations and terminal servers deployed using the Sysprep tool would be at greatest risk from it. Affected Software Versions ========================== - Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 - Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 - Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0, Enterprise Edition - Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition Resolution ========== Customers performing unattended installations of Windows NT 4.0 should ensure that they either review the file and erase any sensitive information such as account information and passwords, or delete the file altogether. Knowledge Base article Q241048 discusses one way to delete the file, via the RunOnce registry key. More Information ================ Please see the following references for more information related to this issue. - Microsoft Security Bulletin MS99-036: Frequently Asked Questions, http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/MS99-036faq.asp. - Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article Q241048, Answer file for System Preperation Tool is not removed after completion, http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q241/0/48.asp. - System Preparation Tool, http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/deploy/DeployTools/SysPrep.asp - Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article Q173039, Unattended Setup Parameters for Unattend.txt File, http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q155/1/97.asp. - Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article Q158484, INFO: How to Set the Administrator Password During Unattended Setup, http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q158/4/84.asp. - Microsoft Security Advisor web site, http://www.microsoft.com/security/default.asp. NOTE: It may take 24 hours from the original posting of this bulletin for the KB articles to be visible. Obtaining Support on this Issue =============================== Information on contacting Microsoft Technical Support is available at http://support.microsoft.com/support/contact/default.asp. Acknowledgments =============== Microsoft acknowledges Nets & Webs, Brisbane, Australia, for bringing this issue to our attention. Revisions ========= - September 10, 1999: Bulletin Created. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. 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