Vulnerability Note VU#571297

Lotus Notes and Domino COM Object Control Handler contains buffer overflow

Original Release date: 19 Feb 2003 | Last revised: 26 Mar 2003

Overview

Lotus Notes is a client application that provides access to Lotus Domino servers. A vulnerability exists that could permit a remote attacker to cause a user to execute arbitrary code.

Description

A buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the in both Lotus Notes clients and Domino Servers in a backend COM class method that handles controls. If a remote attacker could trick a victim into viewing a malicious web page or email message, the attacker could exploit this buffer overflow to execute arbitrary code on the system.

This was originally reported as a vulnerability in an iNotes ActiveX control. The vulnerable code is not iNotes or ActiveX specific, this was an attack vector, not the affected code base.

Further information is available in NGSSoftware advisory NISR17022003e and in IBM Technote 1104543 (SPR# KSPR5J2QET).

Impact

A remote attacker could crash the Notes client or Domino server and potentially execute arbitrary code on the system with the privileges of the current user. This is not Microsoft Windows platform specific and can affect other platforms.

Solution

Apply the appropriate patches from IBM Technote 1104543.

Note that the patch listed in the NGSSoftware advisory NISR17022003e is incorrect.

Systems Affected (Learn More)

VendorStatusDate NotifiedDate Updated
Lotus Software Affected17 Feb 200317 Mar 2003
If you are a vendor and your product is affected, let us know.

CVSS Metrics (Learn More)

Group Score Vector
Base N/A N/A
Temporal N/A N/A
Environmental N/A N/A

References

Credit

Thanks to Mark Litchfield for reporting this vulnerability.

This document was written by Jason A Rafail.

Other Information

  • CVE IDs: Unknown
  • CERT Advisory: CA-2003-11
  • Date Public: 17 Feb 2003
  • Date First Published: 19 Feb 2003
  • Date Last Updated: 26 Mar 2003
  • Severity Metric: 8.35
  • Document Revision: 22

Feedback

If you have feedback, comments, or additional information about this vulnerability, please send us email.