Fortinet Discovers Vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 7

Summary

Fortinet's FortiGuard Labs has discovered a vulnerability in the way Microsoft Windows 7 loads the distributed library file "peerdist.dll".

Solutions

Users should apply the solution provided by Microsoft.

Additional Information

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way that Microsoft Windows handles the loading of DLL files. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. The attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights. This vulnerability requires a user to open a document contained within the same working directory as a specially crafted DLL file. The specially crafted DLL will be loaded into memory giving the attacker control of the affected system in the security context of the logged-on user.

Acknowledgement

Haifei Li of Fortinet's FortiGuard Labs

IPS Subscription

Fortinet customers who subscribe to Fortinet's intrusion prevention (IPS) service should be protected against this vulnerability with the appropriate configuration parameters in place. Fortinet's IPS service is one component of FortiGuard Subscription Services, which also offer comprehensive solutions such as antivirus, Web content filtering and antispam capabilities. These services enable protection against threats on both application and network layers. FortiGuard Services are continuously updated by FortiGuard Labs, which enables Fortinet to deliver a combination of multi-layered security intelligence and true zero-day protection from new and emerging threats. These updates are delivered to all FortiGate, FortiMail and FortiClient products. Fortinet strictly follows responsible disclosure guidelines to ensure optimum protection during a threat's lifecycle.