Experts Detail New Zero-Click Windows Vulnerability for NTLM Credential Theft

Cyber Security

Products You May Like

May 10, 2023Ravie LakshmananVulnerability / Windows

Cybersecurity researchers have shared details about a now-patched security flaw in Windows MSHTML platform that could be abused to bypass integrity protections on targeted machines.

The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2023-29324 (CVSS score: 6.5), has been described as a security feature bypass. It was addressed by Microsoft as part of its Patch Tuesday updates for May 2023.

Akamai security researcher Ben Barnea, who discovered and reported the bug, noted that all Windows versions are affected, but pointed out Microsoft, Exchange

servers with the March update omit the vulnerable feature.

Cybersecurity

“An unauthenticated attacker on the internet could use the vulnerability to coerce an Outlook client to connect to an attacker-controlled server,” Barnea said in a report shared with The Hacker News.

“This results in NTLM credentials theft. It is a zero-click vulnerability, meaning it can be triggered with no user interaction.”

It’s also worth noting that CVE-2023-29324 is a bypass for a fix Microsoft put in place in March 2023 to resolve CVE-2023-23397, a critical privilege escalation flaw in Outlook that the company said has been exploited by Russian threat actors in attacks aimed at European entities since April 2022.

UPCOMING WEBINAR

Learn to Stop Ransomware with Real-Time Protection

Join our webinar and learn how to stop ransomware attacks in their tracks with real-time MFA and service account protection.

Save My Seat!

Akamai said the issue stems from complex handling of paths in Windows, thereby allowing a threat actor to craft a malicious URL that can sidestep internet security zone checks.

“This vulnerability is yet another example of patch scrutinizing leading to new vulnerabilities and bypasses,” Barnea said. “It is a zero-click media parsing attack surface that could potentially contain critical memory corruption vulnerabilities.”

In order to stay fully protected, Microsoft is further recommending users to install Internet Explorer Cumulative updates to address vulnerabilities in the MSHTML platform and scripting engine.

Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

Products You May Like

Articles You May Like

Breaking Down AD CS Vulnerabilities: Insights for InfoSec Professionals
Dutch Regulator Fines Uber €290 Million for GDPR Violations in Data Transfers to U.S.
Apple Music Playlists Can Now Be Transferred to YouTube Music: See Transfer Process, Supported Playlists
Valve Finally Announces Deadlock, Confirms Game Is in ‘Early Development’
ISRO Chief S Somanath Expects Budget Requirement to Grow by Up to 30 Percent in Coming Years

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *