Vulnerability: (979682) Vulnerability in Windows Kernel Could Allow Elevation of Privilege

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	Details
Vulnerability name/brief description	(979682) Vulnerability in Windows Kernel Could Allow Elevation of Privilege
CVE/CAN name	CVE-2010-0232
Vendor threat level	None
SophosLabs threat level	Low
Solution	None
Vendor description	Microsoft is investigating new public reports of a vulnerability in the Windows kernel. We are not aware of attacks that try to use the reported vulnerability or of customer impact at this time.
SophosLabs comments	Code has been publicly disclosed that demonstrates a privilege escalation attack affecting Windows NT based systems (including version of NT from Windows NT 3.1 - up to and including Windows 7). A flaw in how Virtual-8086 mode has been implemented can be exploited to execute code within the context of the kernel.
SophosLabs testing result	N/A
Currently known exploits	At the time of writing SophosLabs have not observed any malware attempting to exploit this vulnerability. Should this situation change samples will be analyzed and we will take action as necessary.
First sample seen	N/A
Discovery date	12th June, 2009
Affected software	Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows XP Service Pack 3 Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 Windows Vista, Windows Vista Service Pack 1, and Windows Vista Service Pack 2 Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems and Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems
References	http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/979682.mspx http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/fulldisclosure/2010-01/0346.html http://www.cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2010-0232
Credits	Microsoft MAPP Tavis Ormandy
Revisions	21st January 2010 - Initial analysis written

Explanation of terms

Vulnerability Name/Brief Description:
Vendor identifier plus a brief description of the type of attack.

CVE/CAN Name:
Currently assigned CVE name. If a CVE name doesn't exist the CAN name will be used until a CVE has been assigned.

Vendor Threat Level:
Threat level assigned by the vendor

SophosLabs Threat Level:
Threat level assigned by SophosLabs

• LOW RISK - There is little chance of this vulnerability being actively exploited by malware.
• MEDIUM RISK - There is a possibility of this vulnerability being actively exploited by malware.
• HIGH RISK - There is a strong possibility of this vulnerability being actively exploited by malware.
• CRITICAL RISK - This vulnerability will almost certainly be actively exploited by malware.

Solution:
Vendor-supplied Patch identifier and recommended solution, or workaround if applicable.

Vendor Description:
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SophosLabs Comments:
SophosLabs' opinions and observations of the vulnerability in question.

SophosLabs Testing Result:
Details of completed lab testing, if applicable. Please note that the lab test environment may differ significantly from user environments.

Currently Known Exploits:
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First Sample Seen:
Date of the first sample seen by SophosLabs.

Discovery Date:
Date of the earliest known publically disclosed advisory.

Affected Software:
Vulnerable platforms and software versions.