Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol CVE-2011-1968 Denial of Service Vulnerability

Description

Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol is prone to a remote denial-of-service vulnerability. An attacker can exploit this issue to shut down or restart the affected system, therefore denying service to legitimate users.

Technologies Affected

• Avaya CallPilot 4.0
• Avaya CallPilot 5.0
• Avaya Communication Server 1000 Telephony Manager 3.0
• Avaya Communication Server 1000 Telephony Manager 4.0
• Avaya Meeting Exchange - Client Registration Server
• Avaya Meeting Exchange - Recording Server
• Avaya Meeting Exchange - Streaming Server
• Avaya Meeting Exchange - Web Conferencing Server
• Avaya Messaging Application Server 4
• Avaya Messaging Application Server 5
• Avaya Messaging Application Server 5.2
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Itanium
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Itanium SP1
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Itanium SP2
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 SP1
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 SP2
• Microsoft Windows XP 64-bit Edition
• Microsoft Windows XP 64-bit Edition SP1
• Microsoft Windows XP Home
• Microsoft Windows XP Home SP1
• Microsoft Windows XP Home SP2
• Microsoft Windows XP Home SP3
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP1
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP3
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition SP2
• Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 3

Recommendations

Block external access at the network boundary, unless external parties require service.
Filter access to the affected computer at the network boundary if global access isn’t required. Restricting access to only trusted computers and networks might greatly reduce the likelihood of exploits.

Run all software as a nonprivileged user with minimal access rights.
To mitigate the potential impact of a successful exploit, run the affected application as a user with minimal access rights.

Deploy network intrusion detection systems to monitor network traffic for malicious activity.
Deploy NIDS to monitor network traffic for anomalous or suspicious activity. Monitor logs generated by NIDS and by the server itself for evidence of attacks against the server.

Vendor updates are available. Please see the references for details.