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HistoryNov 21, 2002 - 12:00 a.m.

UPDATE: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-050: Certificate Validation Flaw Could Enable Identity Spoofing (Q329115)

2002-11-2100:00:00
vulners.com
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Title: Certificate Validation Flaw Could Enable Identity
Spoofing (Q329115)
Released: 04 September 2002
Revised: 20 November 2002 (version 4.0)
Software: Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office for Mac, Microsoft
Internet Explorer for Mac, or Microsoft Outlook Express
for Mac.
Impact: Identity spoofing and, in some cases, ability to gain
control over a user's system.
Max Risk: Important

Bulletin: MS02-050

Microsoft encourages customers to review the Security Bulletin at:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS02-050.asp.


Reason for Revision:

The original version of this bulletin was released on 05 September
2002. On 09 September 2002, we updated the bulletin to advise
customers that a Microsoft-issued digital certificate, used to sign
device drivers, did not meet the stricter validation standards
established by the patch. As a result, customers who installed the
patch could see unexpected error messages when installing new
hardware, or in some cases might be unable to install new hardware
altogether. On 20 November 2002, we released an updated version of
the patch that not only eliminates this problem, but also eliminates
a newly discovered variant of the original vulnerability.

Issue:

The IETF Profile of the X.509 certificate standard defines several
optional fields that can be included in a digital certificate. One
of these is the Basic Constraints field, which indicates the maximum
allowable length of the certificate's chain and whether the
certificate is a Certificate Authority or an end-entity certificate.
However, the APIs within CryptoAPI that construct and validate
certificate chains (CertGetCertificateChain(),
CertVerifyCertificateChainPolicy(), and WinVerifyTrust()) do not
check the Basic Constraints field. The same flaw, unrelated to
CryptoAPI, is also present in several Microsoft products for
Macintosh.

The vulnerability identified in the original version of the bulletin
could enable an attacker who had a valid end-entity certificate to
issue a subordinate certificate that, although bogus, would
nevertheless pass validation. Because CryptoAPI is used by a wide
range of applications, this could enable a variety of identity
spoofing attacks. These are discussed in detail in the FAQ, but
could include:

  • Setting up a web site that poses as a different web site, and
    "proving" its identity by establishing an SSL session as the
    legitimate web site.
  • Sending emails signed using a digital certificate that
    purportedly belongs to a different user.
  • Spoofing certificate-based authentication systems to gain entry
    as a highly privileged user.
  • Digitally signing malware using an Authenticode certificate that
    claims to have been issued to a company users might trust.

The newly discovered vulnerability announced on 20 November 2002 is
closely related to the one discussed in the original version of the
bulletin and, like that vulnerability, involves a flaw in the way
certificate validation is performed. However, this vulnerability
could enable an attacker to gain control over a user's system.
Because a fix for this vulnerability was not included in the original
version of the patch, Microsoft strongly recommends that customers
install the new patch, even if they installed the original version
of the patch. Only Microsoft Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition,
Windows NT 4.0, and Windows NT 4.0, Terminal Server Edition are
affected by this variant.

Mitigating Factors:

Overall:

  • The user could always manually check a certificate chain, and
    might notice in the case of a spoofed chain that there was an
    unfamiliar intermediate CA.

  • Unless the attacker's digital certificate were issued by a CA
    in the user's trust list, the certificate would generate a
    warning when validated.

  • The attacker could only spoof certificates of the same type
    as the one he or she possessed. In the case where the attacker
    attempted an attack using a high-value certificate such as
    Authenticode certificates, this would necessitate obtaining a
    legitimate certificate of the same type - which could require
    the attacker to prove his or her identity or entitlement to the
    issuing CA.

Web Site Spoofing:

  • The vulnerability provides no way for the attacker to cause the
    user to visit the attacker's web site. The attacker would need
    to redirect the user to a site under the attacker's control
    using a method such as DNS poisoning. As discussed in the FAQ,
    this is extremely difficult to carry out in practice.

  • The vulnerability could not be used to extract information from
    the user's computer. The vulnerability could only be used by an
    attacker as a means of convincing a user that he or she has
    reached a trusted site, in the hope of persuading the user to
    voluntarily provide sensitive data.

Email Signing:

  • The "from" address on the spoofed mail would need to match the
    one specified in the certificate, giving rise to either of two
    scenarios if a recipient replied to the mail. In the case where
    the "from" and "reply-to" fields matched, replies would be sent
    to victim of the attack rather than the attacker. In the case
    where the fields didn't match, replies would obviously be
    addressed to someone other than ostensible sender. Either case
    could be a tip-off that an attack was underway.

Certificate-based Authentication:

  • In most cases where certificates are used for user
    authentication, additional information contained within the
    certificate is necessary to complete the authentication. The
    type and format of such data typically varies with every
    installation, and as a result significant insider information
    would likely be required for a successful attack.

Authenticode Spoofing:

  • To the best of Microsoft's knowledge, such an attack could not
    be carried out using any commercial CA's Authenticode
    certificates. These certificates contain policy information that
    causes the Basic Constraints field to be correctly evaluated,
    and none allow end-entity certificates to act as CAs.

  • Even if an attack were successfully carried out using an
    Authenticode certificate that had been issued by a corporate
    PKI, it wouldn't be possible to avoid warning messages, as
    trust in Authenticode is brokered on a per-certificate, not
    per-name, basis.

Risk Rating:

  • Important

Note: Responding to customer feedback, Microsoft updated its
severity rating system November 18, 2002. Security bulletins that
originally posted under the old system - before November 18,
2002 - and are later re-released under the new system, will
reflect the severity rating assessed under the new revised
system Severity Rating criteria

Patch Availability:

Acknowledgment:

  • UK National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC)

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OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES
SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.

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