[ISN] Microsoft releases monthly security patches

[InfoSec News]

http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,93728,00.html

By Paul Roberts
JUNE 08, 2004
IDG NEWS SERVICE

Microsoft Corp. released software updates for versions of Windows XP
and Windows Server 2003 and warned customers about a security
vulnerability in a Windows component called IDirectPlay4, which is
used to support multiplayer network games.

The security hole, if successfully exploited, could allow a remote
attacker to cause a Windows application using the affected component
to fail, creating a denial-of-service attack. Microsoft published
bulletin MS04-016 describing the hole and rated the problem
"moderate," indicating that the hole is difficult to exploit or can be
fixed by changing configuration settings or other factors.

IDirectPlay4 is one of three application programming interfaces that
makes up Microsoft DirectPlay, a protocol that provides networking
services for networks based on TCP/IP and IPX. DirectPlay is
frequently used to support multiplayer games.

A remote attacker could trigger the security vulnerability by
connecting to a machine using DirectPlay and sending a specially
misformatted data packet to the machine. When received, that packet
would cause the application using DirectPlay to crash.

Microsoft provided patches for both 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows
XP and Windows Server 2003 and advised customers to consider applying
the updates.

The company also patched three of its products to plug a newly
discovered hole in the Crystal Reports and Crystal Enterprise
reporting tools from Business Objects SA. Software updates were
released for Visual Studio .Net and Outlook 2003 with Business Contact
Manager, which redistribute Crystal Reports. A patch was also issued
for Microsoft Business Solutions CRM 1.2, which redistributes Crystal
Enterprise and is also affected.

The hole, if successfully exploited, could allow a remote attacker to
use a Web interface to Crystal Reports and Crystal Enterprise to
retrieve or delete files on affected systems, Microsoft said.

Microsoft published a bulletin (MS04-017) concerning the hole that
rated the vulnerability "moderate." Customers should consider applying
the patch, the company said.

Microsoft released the patches in keeping with its stated policy of
trying to limit security updates to one day per month, typically the
second Tuesday of each month.

After releasing more than 20 patches for security holes in April, many
of them related to "critical" holes in versions of Windows and the
Internet Explorer Web browser, the company has had two quiet months.  
It issued just one bulletin in April for a single, noncritical
vulnerability.