Re: Perfect PDF products distributed with vulnerable MSVC++ libraries

["Stefan Kanthak" <stefan.kanthak@xxxxxxxx>]

"Brad Hards" <bradh@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> On Sunday 19 June 2011 11:37:33 Stefan Kanthak wrote:
>> soft Xpansion <www.soft-xpansion.com> distributes their (freeware)
>> products "Perfect PDF 7 Master" and "Perfect PDF 7 Reader" (the
>> current files are dated 2011-05-10) with OUTDATED and VULNERABLE
>> Visual C++ 2008 runtime libraries VCRedist_x86.exe/VCRedist_x64.exe
>> version 9.0.30729.17 of 2008-08-08.
>> 
>> These libraries have been updated since then at least twice due to
>> vulnerabilities, see
>> <http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS09-035.mspx>
>> and
>> <http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS11-025.mspx>
> Did you check if these vulnerabilities be exploited via this product?

No. I would have mentioned them explicitly then.

> I'm not suggesting that its OK to distribute outdated libs, just to
> understand the risk a little more.

1. Software that is distributed with such outdated libraries is VERY
   likely compiled/produced in an outdated development environment
   TOO, so there may be more errors/vulnerabilities lurking.


2. <http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS11-025.mspx>

| In the case where a system has no MFC applications currently installed
| but does have the vulnerable Visual Studio or Visual C++ runtimes
| installed, Microsoft recommends that users install this update as a
| defense-in-depth measure, in case of an attack vector being introduced
| or becoming known at a later time.

   For the above products Microsofts advice is like a self-fullfilling
   prophecy:-(


3. Even if the current MSVC++ runtime is installed later (via Windows
   Update, for example), the vulnerable MSVC++ runtime(s) remain
   installed (side-by-side).
   You have to (and should!) remove them manually to get rid of them
   completely!


Stefan