Security Guide for Windows

A security vulnerability exists in the Windows Redirector of Windows XP that could allow a local user to elevate their security privileges by exploiting an unchecked buffer.

Issue
The Windows Redirector is used by a Windows client to access files, whether local or remote, regardless of the underlying network protocols in use. For example, the "Add a Network Place" Wizard or the NET USE command can be used to map a network share as a local drive, and the Windows Redirector will handle the routing of information to and from the network share.

A security vulnerability exists in the implementation of the Windows Redirector on Windows XP because an unchecked buffer is used to receive parameter information. By providing malformed data to the Windows Redirector, an attacker could cause the system to fail, or if the data was crafted in a particular way, could run code of the attacker’s choice.

Affected Products
Microsoft Windows XP

Download
Software patches are available from the following locations: