Original release date: April 12, 2011
Last revised: --
Source: US-CERT
Systems Affected
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Microsoft Visual Studio
Overview
There are multiple vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows, Office, Internet Explorer, and Visual Studio. Microsoft has released updates to address these vulnerabilities.
I. Description
The Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for April 2011 describes multiple vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows, Office, Internet Explorer, and Visual Studio. Microsoft has released updates to address the vulnerabilities.
Orange County Computer Consultant
- Orange County Computer Security Consultant
- Orange County Computer Consultant helps small businesses with networking, installations and small business software.
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
April 2011: two Cisco vulnerabilities
The Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) has published two important vulnerability advisories:
Multiple Vulnerabilities in Cisco Unified Communications Manager
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers Denial of Service Vulnerability
Multiple Vulnerabilities in Cisco Unified Communications Manager
Cisco Unified Communications Manager (previously known as Cisco CallManager) contains the following vulnerabilities:
Three denial of service (DoS) vulnerabilities that affect Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) services
Directory transversal vulnerability
Two SQL injection vulnerabilities
Vulnerable Products
The following products are affected by at least one of the vulnerabilities that are described in this advisory:
Cisco Unified Communications Manager 6.x
Cisco Unified Communications Manager 7.x
Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.x
Details
DoS Vulnerabilities in SIP: Cisco Unified Communications Manager contains three DoS vulnerabilities that involve the processing of SIP messages. Each vulnerability is triggered by a malformed SIP message that could cause a critical process to fail, resulting in the disruption of voice services. All SIP ports (TCP ports 5060 and 5061 and UDP ports 5060 and 5061) are affected.
Cisco Unified Communications Manager contains a vulnerability that involves the processing of POST requests. An authenticated, remote attacker with the ability to intercept a packet to the affected device could specify a different location or filename, which may result in the upload of a malicious file.
SQL Injection Vulnerabilities: Cisco Unified Communications Manager is affected by the following vulnerabilities:
It allow an authenticated, remote attacker to modify the system configuration; create, modify and delete users; or modify the configuration of Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
It allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to modify system configuration; create, modify, and delete users; or modify the configuration of Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
Impact
Successful exploitation of the vulnerabilities that are described in this advisory could result in the interruption of voice services, privilege escalation and possible data modification. In the case of DoS attacks, the affect Cisco Unified Communications Manager processes will restart, but repeated attacks may result in a sustained DoS condition.
Link: http://www.cisco.com…/products_security_advisory09186a0080b79904.shtml
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers Denial of Service Vulnerability
The Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) product family is affected by a denial of service (DoS) vulnerability where an unauthenticated attacker could cause a device reload by sending a series of ICMP packets.
Vulnerable Products
This vulnerability affects Cisco WLC software versions 6.0 and later. The following products are affected by the vulnerability described in this Security Advisory:
Cisco 2100 Series Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco WLC526 Mobility Express Controller (AIR-WLC526-K9)
Cisco NME-AIR-WLC Modules for Integrated Services Routers (ISRs)
Cisco NM-AIR-WLC Modules for Integrated Services Routers (ISRs)
Details
Cisco WLCs and Cisco WiSMs are responsible for system-wide wireless LAN functions, such as security policies, intrusion prevention, RF management, quality of service (QoS), and mobility. The Cisco WLC family of devices is affected by a DoS vulnerability that can allow an unauthenticated attacker to cause the device to reload by sending a series of ICMP packets. This vulnerability can be exploited from both wired and wireless segments.
Impact
Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could cause an affected device to reload. Repeated exploitation could result in a sustained DoS condition.
Link: http://www.cisco.com/…/products_security_advisory09186a0080b7950e.shtml
Multiple Vulnerabilities in Cisco Unified Communications Manager
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers Denial of Service Vulnerability
Multiple Vulnerabilities in Cisco Unified Communications Manager
Cisco Unified Communications Manager (previously known as Cisco CallManager) contains the following vulnerabilities:
Three denial of service (DoS) vulnerabilities that affect Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) services
Directory transversal vulnerability
Two SQL injection vulnerabilities
Vulnerable Products
The following products are affected by at least one of the vulnerabilities that are described in this advisory:
Cisco Unified Communications Manager 6.x
Cisco Unified Communications Manager 7.x
Cisco Unified Communications Manager 8.x
Details
DoS Vulnerabilities in SIP: Cisco Unified Communications Manager contains three DoS vulnerabilities that involve the processing of SIP messages. Each vulnerability is triggered by a malformed SIP message that could cause a critical process to fail, resulting in the disruption of voice services. All SIP ports (TCP ports 5060 and 5061 and UDP ports 5060 and 5061) are affected.
Cisco Unified Communications Manager contains a vulnerability that involves the processing of POST requests. An authenticated, remote attacker with the ability to intercept a packet to the affected device could specify a different location or filename, which may result in the upload of a malicious file.
SQL Injection Vulnerabilities: Cisco Unified Communications Manager is affected by the following vulnerabilities:
It allow an authenticated, remote attacker to modify the system configuration; create, modify and delete users; or modify the configuration of Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
It allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to modify system configuration; create, modify, and delete users; or modify the configuration of Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
Impact
Successful exploitation of the vulnerabilities that are described in this advisory could result in the interruption of voice services, privilege escalation and possible data modification. In the case of DoS attacks, the affect Cisco Unified Communications Manager processes will restart, but repeated attacks may result in a sustained DoS condition.
Link: http://www.cisco.com…/products_security_advisory09186a0080b79904.shtml
Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers Denial of Service Vulnerability
The Cisco Wireless LAN Controller (WLC) product family is affected by a denial of service (DoS) vulnerability where an unauthenticated attacker could cause a device reload by sending a series of ICMP packets.
Vulnerable Products
This vulnerability affects Cisco WLC software versions 6.0 and later. The following products are affected by the vulnerability described in this Security Advisory:
Cisco 2100 Series Wireless LAN Controllers
Cisco WLC526 Mobility Express Controller (AIR-WLC526-K9)
Cisco NME-AIR-WLC Modules for Integrated Services Routers (ISRs)
Cisco NM-AIR-WLC Modules for Integrated Services Routers (ISRs)
Details
Cisco WLCs and Cisco WiSMs are responsible for system-wide wireless LAN functions, such as security policies, intrusion prevention, RF management, quality of service (QoS), and mobility. The Cisco WLC family of devices is affected by a DoS vulnerability that can allow an unauthenticated attacker to cause the device to reload by sending a series of ICMP packets. This vulnerability can be exploited from both wired and wireless segments.
Impact
Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could cause an affected device to reload. Repeated exploitation could result in a sustained DoS condition.
Link: http://www.cisco.com/…/products_security_advisory09186a0080b7950e.shtml
10 Make or Break Questions to Ask Your Cloud Computing Vendor
by Renee Bergeron
There’s no doubt that high energy and excitement surround the promise of cloud computing. As a transformational technology, cloud computing is a catalyst for change within the IT landscape because it helps companies of all sizes more efficiently use their hardware and software investments, while also fostering innovation. Subscription-based cloud platforms can save business owners money on initial IT outlays, enabling them to reinvest in improving customer service. It can be an all around win-win. Still, the cloud is not without its perils, potholes and pitfalls. As a customer considering the cloud, your first priority is to focus on finding the right solution to meet your business needs.
Because many vendors look good on paper, you’ll want to cover the most important selection criteria to minimize your risks and increase your comfort level. How do you know which cloud vendor will match its headlines? Ask the following 10 make-or-break questions before you sign on the dotted line:
1. The Basics: Right out of the gate, you’ll want to learn as much as you can about the cloud vendor. Determine if they’re operating out of their basement or if they have the kind of credibility that can only be gained from experience and success. If your chosen cloud vendor waffles when you ask detailed questions about their 24×7 support service, their industry, the advantages of their solution or the difference between a tier 3 or tier 4 datacenter, then you might want to simply walk away from a nightmare ready to happen.
2. Security and Availability: Learn about how they deal with and monitor security issues, install patches and perform maintenance updates. Does it match your company’s expected level of security or service? Ask where they host data and if it’s a shared or a dedicated environment, and find out how many servers they have and if those servers are set in a cluster. It’s also critical to know if the infrastructure is mirrored and 100 percent redundant. While you’re at it, investigate their disaster recovery processes and determine if they operate out of a Tier 1 or Tier 4 data center.
3. Migration Services: Migration can be a nightmare. Make sure your cloud vendor has a dedicated, allocated resource for migration and a proven track record of migrating similar IT solutions to the cloud. Ask if their migration processes are automated or done manually. Ask for a commitment from the vendor on the migration ETC (estimated time of completion). Finally, find out if you can perform and manage the whole process from an intuitive, easy-to-use control panel.
4. Integration: This is a deal breaker. Be sure to ask how their solution integrates with your current IT environment and other solutions. What’s their track record and game plan when it comes to integrating with other, on-premise solutions you already have installed? If halfway down the road they realize it does not integrate, what is their contingency plan and what kind of guarantees are they willing to offer?
5. Support Professionals: You can never ask too many questions about support. For example, you’ll want to know how many support agents your cloud vendor deploys and if they are Level 1, 2 or 3 in terms of training, certification and capability. Also, find out about your vendor’s escalation process if a problem arises. Learn as much as you can about the location of the vendor’s support center, whether it’s housed offshore, available 24x7x365, and other pertinent criteria.
6. Uptime Metrics and Reports: Find out how your vendor measures uptime and how that’s communicated to clients, such as what part of the hosting infrastructure (hosting, server reliability, service delivery, etc.) the uptime calculation takes into account. Ask about processes in place for handling major outages: do they have a SWOT team in place, how do they typically communicate with the client (phone, email, RSS Feed, Twitter, SMS), and at what speed and with what level of details. Determine if they are proactive or proactively reactive when a problem occurs.
7. Assess the Vendor’s Sales Process: Does the rep take the time to understand your company’s needs or is he or she just selling for sales’ sake? If the rep spends time to assess your business requirements, it’s likely that same attitude permeates the entire company. Industry studies show that many applications sold out of the box fail to meet the customer’s requirements because they’re not customized to the client’s needs. Make sure that the vendor pays attention to what you need and not just what they want to sell. Finally, after-sale support can tell you a lot about the seriousness, professional nature and quality of the internal processes of an organization.
8. How is Pricing Set Up?: Obviously, pricing is an important question to ask. You’ll want to learn about the vendor’s billing and pricing structure. Most set up billing as a recurring, monthly item, but it’s always good to do your homework. Are you being asked to sign a contract, or does your deal automatically renew, as with an evergreen agreement? If the vendor’s price is unusually low compared to others, it should raise a red flag. Find out why. Can you cancel at any time without hidden fees? Do you have a minimum of users required in order to get the most attractive price?
9. Multiple Services: With the cloud, it’s particularly important to pick a vendor with a large breadth of offerings because the likelihood is that, at some point, you might want to consolidate all of your IT under one hood. Find out if your cloud vendor is capable of something like that.
10. Ask for References: There’s comfort in knowing you’re not their first customer, and seeing their successes lined up on the wall will bring you added confidence in your decision. Ask for examples of real-world success and ROI measurements. Better yet, try to get outside confirmation of their success such as industry recognition, peer reviews and awards.
By thoroughly covering this ground, you’re most likely to find not only the right cloud vendor, but also the best solutions for your company and your clients.
Renee Bergeron is VP of managed services and cloud computing at Ingram Micro, overseeing such efforts as Ingram Micro Cloud. Monthly guest blogs such as this one are part of MSPmentor’s annual sponsorship program. Read all of Bergeron’s guest blogs here.
There’s no doubt that high energy and excitement surround the promise of cloud computing. As a transformational technology, cloud computing is a catalyst for change within the IT landscape because it helps companies of all sizes more efficiently use their hardware and software investments, while also fostering innovation. Subscription-based cloud platforms can save business owners money on initial IT outlays, enabling them to reinvest in improving customer service. It can be an all around win-win. Still, the cloud is not without its perils, potholes and pitfalls. As a customer considering the cloud, your first priority is to focus on finding the right solution to meet your business needs.
Because many vendors look good on paper, you’ll want to cover the most important selection criteria to minimize your risks and increase your comfort level. How do you know which cloud vendor will match its headlines? Ask the following 10 make-or-break questions before you sign on the dotted line:
1. The Basics: Right out of the gate, you’ll want to learn as much as you can about the cloud vendor. Determine if they’re operating out of their basement or if they have the kind of credibility that can only be gained from experience and success. If your chosen cloud vendor waffles when you ask detailed questions about their 24×7 support service, their industry, the advantages of their solution or the difference between a tier 3 or tier 4 datacenter, then you might want to simply walk away from a nightmare ready to happen.
2. Security and Availability: Learn about how they deal with and monitor security issues, install patches and perform maintenance updates. Does it match your company’s expected level of security or service? Ask where they host data and if it’s a shared or a dedicated environment, and find out how many servers they have and if those servers are set in a cluster. It’s also critical to know if the infrastructure is mirrored and 100 percent redundant. While you’re at it, investigate their disaster recovery processes and determine if they operate out of a Tier 1 or Tier 4 data center.
3. Migration Services: Migration can be a nightmare. Make sure your cloud vendor has a dedicated, allocated resource for migration and a proven track record of migrating similar IT solutions to the cloud. Ask if their migration processes are automated or done manually. Ask for a commitment from the vendor on the migration ETC (estimated time of completion). Finally, find out if you can perform and manage the whole process from an intuitive, easy-to-use control panel.
4. Integration: This is a deal breaker. Be sure to ask how their solution integrates with your current IT environment and other solutions. What’s their track record and game plan when it comes to integrating with other, on-premise solutions you already have installed? If halfway down the road they realize it does not integrate, what is their contingency plan and what kind of guarantees are they willing to offer?
5. Support Professionals: You can never ask too many questions about support. For example, you’ll want to know how many support agents your cloud vendor deploys and if they are Level 1, 2 or 3 in terms of training, certification and capability. Also, find out about your vendor’s escalation process if a problem arises. Learn as much as you can about the location of the vendor’s support center, whether it’s housed offshore, available 24x7x365, and other pertinent criteria.
6. Uptime Metrics and Reports: Find out how your vendor measures uptime and how that’s communicated to clients, such as what part of the hosting infrastructure (hosting, server reliability, service delivery, etc.) the uptime calculation takes into account. Ask about processes in place for handling major outages: do they have a SWOT team in place, how do they typically communicate with the client (phone, email, RSS Feed, Twitter, SMS), and at what speed and with what level of details. Determine if they are proactive or proactively reactive when a problem occurs.
7. Assess the Vendor’s Sales Process: Does the rep take the time to understand your company’s needs or is he or she just selling for sales’ sake? If the rep spends time to assess your business requirements, it’s likely that same attitude permeates the entire company. Industry studies show that many applications sold out of the box fail to meet the customer’s requirements because they’re not customized to the client’s needs. Make sure that the vendor pays attention to what you need and not just what they want to sell. Finally, after-sale support can tell you a lot about the seriousness, professional nature and quality of the internal processes of an organization.
8. How is Pricing Set Up?: Obviously, pricing is an important question to ask. You’ll want to learn about the vendor’s billing and pricing structure. Most set up billing as a recurring, monthly item, but it’s always good to do your homework. Are you being asked to sign a contract, or does your deal automatically renew, as with an evergreen agreement? If the vendor’s price is unusually low compared to others, it should raise a red flag. Find out why. Can you cancel at any time without hidden fees? Do you have a minimum of users required in order to get the most attractive price?
9. Multiple Services: With the cloud, it’s particularly important to pick a vendor with a large breadth of offerings because the likelihood is that, at some point, you might want to consolidate all of your IT under one hood. Find out if your cloud vendor is capable of something like that.
10. Ask for References: There’s comfort in knowing you’re not their first customer, and seeing their successes lined up on the wall will bring you added confidence in your decision. Ask for examples of real-world success and ROI measurements. Better yet, try to get outside confirmation of their success such as industry recognition, peer reviews and awards.
By thoroughly covering this ground, you’re most likely to find not only the right cloud vendor, but also the best solutions for your company and your clients.
Renee Bergeron is VP of managed services and cloud computing at Ingram Micro, overseeing such efforts as Ingram Micro Cloud. Monthly guest blogs such as this one are part of MSPmentor’s annual sponsorship program. Read all of Bergeron’s guest blogs here.
NSA Guide on Securing your Windows Network
This is a great PDF on recommended settings for your home network.
Orange County Computer Consultant
Finally, we’ll design the right mix of on-site, remote, network, and help desk support to fit your specific situation and needs.
The Benefits Are Obvious:
You’ll eliminate expensive repairs and recovery costs. Our network monitoring and maintenance will save you money by preventing expensive network disasters from ever happening in the first place. As a matter of fact, we guarantee it.
You’ll avoid expensive trip fees while receiving faster support. Our remote monitoring software will enable us to access and repair most network problems right from our offices. No more waiting around for an engineer to show up!
How does faster performance, fewer error messages, and practically zero down-time sound to you? Under this program, that is exactly what we’ll deliver. Some parts of your system will degrade in performance over time, causing them to slow down, hang up, and crash. Our preventative maintenance and network monitoring will make sure your computers stay in tip-top shape for maximum speed, performance, and reliability.
You will have ALL of the benefits of an in-house IT department WITHOUT all of the costs. As our customer, you’ll have access to a knowledgeable support staff that can be reached immediately should you have any kind of problem or question.
You’ll receive substantial discounts on IT services that you are already buying. Most IT firms will nickel and dime you over every little thing they do; under this program, you’ll pay one flat, affordable rate and get all of the technical support you need. No hidden charges, caveats, or disclaimers.
You will never have to fear a big, expensive network repair bill. Instead, you can budget for network support just like rent or insurance.
You’ll sleep easier knowing the “gremlins at the gate” are being watched. Cyber criminals never sleep! But thanks to our 24/7/365 monitoring and on-going maintenance, you’ll have one less thing to worry about.
You’ll safeguard your data. The data on the hard disk is always more important than the hardware that houses it. If you rely on your computer systems for daily operations, it's time to get serious about protecting your critical, irreplaceable electronic information.
You’ll finally put a stop to annoying spam, pop-ups, and spywarefrom taking over your computer and your network. Not only are these intruders annoying, but they can introduce viruses and jeopardize the security of your network.
You’ll gain incredible peace of mind. As a business owner, you already have enough to worry about. We’ll make sure everything pertaining to your network security and reliability is handled so you don’t have to worry about it
The Benefits Are Obvious:
You’ll eliminate expensive repairs and recovery costs. Our network monitoring and maintenance will save you money by preventing expensive network disasters from ever happening in the first place. As a matter of fact, we guarantee it.
You’ll avoid expensive trip fees while receiving faster support. Our remote monitoring software will enable us to access and repair most network problems right from our offices. No more waiting around for an engineer to show up!
How does faster performance, fewer error messages, and practically zero down-time sound to you? Under this program, that is exactly what we’ll deliver. Some parts of your system will degrade in performance over time, causing them to slow down, hang up, and crash. Our preventative maintenance and network monitoring will make sure your computers stay in tip-top shape for maximum speed, performance, and reliability.
You will have ALL of the benefits of an in-house IT department WITHOUT all of the costs. As our customer, you’ll have access to a knowledgeable support staff that can be reached immediately should you have any kind of problem or question.
You’ll receive substantial discounts on IT services that you are already buying. Most IT firms will nickel and dime you over every little thing they do; under this program, you’ll pay one flat, affordable rate and get all of the technical support you need. No hidden charges, caveats, or disclaimers.
You will never have to fear a big, expensive network repair bill. Instead, you can budget for network support just like rent or insurance.
You’ll sleep easier knowing the “gremlins at the gate” are being watched. Cyber criminals never sleep! But thanks to our 24/7/365 monitoring and on-going maintenance, you’ll have one less thing to worry about.
You’ll safeguard your data. The data on the hard disk is always more important than the hardware that houses it. If you rely on your computer systems for daily operations, it's time to get serious about protecting your critical, irreplaceable electronic information.
You’ll finally put a stop to annoying spam, pop-ups, and spywarefrom taking over your computer and your network. Not only are these intruders annoying, but they can introduce viruses and jeopardize the security of your network.
You’ll gain incredible peace of mind. As a business owner, you already have enough to worry about. We’ll make sure everything pertaining to your network security and reliability is handled so you don’t have to worry about it
Orange County Computer Consultant
Network Diagnostic Service. Orange County, CA.
Diagnose any ongoing problems or concerns we have with our network.
Make sure our data is being backed up properly and make sure our files can be recovered without damage or corruption in case of an emergency.
Review our network configuration and printers to make sure we are getting the maximum performance and speed from these machines.
Look for hidden viruses, spyware, and loopholes in our network security that could allow hackers and other cyber criminals to access our confidential information.
Review our server file logs to look for looming problems or conflicts that can cause unexpected down-time.
Answer any questions you have or provide a second opinion on a network upgrade or other project you have in mind.
Diagnose any ongoing problems or concerns we have with our network.
Make sure our data is being backed up properly and make sure our files can be recovered without damage or corruption in case of an emergency.
Review our network configuration and printers to make sure we are getting the maximum performance and speed from these machines.
Look for hidden viruses, spyware, and loopholes in our network security that could allow hackers and other cyber criminals to access our confidential information.
Review our server file logs to look for looming problems or conflicts that can cause unexpected down-time.
Answer any questions you have or provide a second opinion on a network upgrade or other project you have in mind.