Vulnerability Note VU#773545

NOS Microsystems Adobe getPlus Helper ActiveX control stack buffer overflows

Overview

The NOS Microsystems Adobe getPlus Helper ActiveX control contains stack buffer overflows, which can allow a remote, unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code on a vulnerable system.

I. Description

NOS Microsystems getPlus is download management software that is used to install Adobe Reader and Flash on Windows systems. The getPlus Helper ActiveX control, which is provided by gp.ocx, contains stack buffer overflows in several initialization parameters.

II. Impact

By convincing a user to view a specially crafted HTML document (e.g., a web page or an HTML email message or attachment), an attacker may be able to execute arbitrary code.

III. Solution

Please see Adobe Security Bulletin APSB10-02. Although this vulnerability is addressed in 1.6.2.49 of the getPlus Helper control, the control is removed when the system is restarted. Therefore, it may be possible for an attacker to convince the user to install the vulnerable version of the control, even on a system that has installed the fixed control at some point. Please consider the following workarounds:

Disable the getPlus Helper ActiveX control in Internet Explorer

The getPlus Helper ActiveX control can be disabled in Internet Explorer by setting the kill bit for the following CLSID:

{E2883E8F-472F-4fb0-9522-AC9BF37916A7}

More information about how to set the kill bit is available in Microsoft Support Document 240797. Alternatively, the following text can be saved as a .REG file and imported to set the kill bit for this control:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftInternet ExplorerActiveX Compatibility{E2883E8F-472F-4fb0-9522-AC9BF37916A7}]
"Compatibility Flags"=dword:00000400
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREWow6432NodeMicrosoftInternet ExplorerActiveX Compatibility{E2883E8F-472F-4fb0-9522-AC9BF37916A7}]
"Compatibility Flags"=dword:00000400

Disable ActiveX

Disabling ActiveX controls in the Internet Zone (or any zone used by an attacker) appears to prevent exploitation of this and other ActiveX vulnerabilities. Instructions for disabling ActiveX in the Internet Zone can be found in the "Securing Your Web Browser" document.

Systems Affected

Vendor	Status	Date Notified	Date Updated
Adobe	Vulnerable	2009-11-04	2010-01-12

References

http://www.adobe.com/support/security/bulletins/apsb10-02.html

Credit

This vulnerability was reported by Will Dormann of the CERT/CC.

This document was written by Will Dormann.

Other Information

Date Public:	2010-01-12
Date First Published:	2010-01-12
Date Last Updated:	2010-01-12
CERT Advisory:
CVE-ID(s):	CVE-2009-3958
NVD-ID(s):	CVE-2009-3958
US-CERT Technical Alerts:
Metric:	3.64
Document Revision:	7