ASB00-07
Published: 2000-04-10 00:00:00
Updated: 2000-04-10 00:00:00
Microsoft Internet Information Server Exposure of Source Code with
Malformed Hit Highlighting Arguments
Last Revision: April 10, 2000
Summary
Microsoft has announced a vulnerability for Microsoft IIS which exposes the ability to
use a malformed URL to read the source code of ASP, CFML, Perl and other files
that are on a server. This is not a problem with ColdFusion Server itself, but it is an
issue that can affect ColdFusion users. Allaire recommends that customers follow
the instructions posted on the Microsoft Web site to address this issue.
Issue
This issue is clearly explained in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: "The ISAPI filter
that implements the hit-highlighting (also known as "WebHits") functionality does not
adequately constrain what files can be requested. If you provide a
deliberately-malformed argument in a request to hit-highlight a document, it is
possible to escape the virtual folder. This can allow someone without permissions to
read any file residing on the same logical drive of the server that contains the Web
Root folder. It does not allow anyone without permissions to add or modify files." For
example, accessing the URL:
http://www.yoursite.com/null.htw?CiWebHitsFile=/yourfile.asp%20&CiRestriction=none&CiHiliteType=Full
may yield the contents of the file normally available at
http://www.yoursite.com/yourfile.asp itself, not the processed results of
the file.
Affected Software Versions
Any ColdFusion Server running on Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 or
Microsoft Windows 2000
What Allaire is Doing
This is not an Allaire product. We are recommending that customers reference the
information at Microsoft's site to address this issue.
What Customers Should Do
There are several patches and workarounds available to correct this problem. These
are detailed in the following Microsoft Knowledge base article (Q251170):
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/support/kb.asp?ID=251170
Please note: this issue and patch may not be required for all IIS users. Allaire
customers should review all material in the Microsoft Security Bulletin and
related documents carefully before applying the patch. As always, customers
should test patch changes in a testing environment before modifying
production servers.
Revisions
April 10, 2000 -- Bulletin first released.
Reporting Security Issues
Allaire is committed to addressing security issues and providing customers with the
information on how they can protect themselves. If you identify what you believe may
be a security issue with an Allaire product, please send an email to
secure@allaire.com. We will work to appropriately address and communicate the
issue.
Receiving Security Bulletins
When Allaire becomes aware of a security issue that we believe significantly affects
our products or customers, we will notify customers when appropriate. Typically this
notification will be in the form of a security bulletin explaining the issue and the
response. Allaire customers who would like to receive notification of new security
bulletins when they are released can sign up for our security notification service.
For additional information on security issues at Allaire, please visit the Security Zone
at:
http://www.allaire.com/security
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY ALLAIRE IN THIS BULLETIN IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT
WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. ALLAIRE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ALLAIRE CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY
DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS
OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF ALLAIRE CORPORATION OR ITS
SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO
NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.
