Microsoft Security Advisory 971778 Vulnerability in Microsoft DirectShow Released

We’ve just released Microsoft Security Advisory 971778 today. This discusses a new vulnerability in Microsoft DirectShow affecting Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 that is under limited attack. The advisory outlines information about the vulnerability and steps customers can take to protect themselves while we’re working on a security update to address the issue.
 
Our investigation has shown that the vulnerable code was removed as part of our work building Windows Vista. This means that Windows Vista and versions of Windows since Windows Vista (Windows Server 2008, Windows 7) are not vulnerable.
 
The vulnerability is in the QuickTime parser in Microsoft DirectShow. An attacker would try and exploit the vulnerability by crafting a specially formed video file and then posting it on a website or sending it as an attachment in e-mail. While this isn’t a browser vulnerability, because the vulnerability is in DirectShow, a browser-based vector is potentially accessible through any browser using media plug-ins that use DirectShow. Also, we’ve verified that it is possible (continue reading...)