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Q304867: Server Configuration Error Appears When Viewing a Web Page

Article: Q304867
Product(s): Internet Information Server
Version(s): 5.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbSecurity kbCOMIS kbWin2000PreSP3Fix KbSECVulnerability KbSECHack KbSECDOS kbWin2000sp
Last Modified: 15-AUG-2002

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Internet Information Services version 5.0 
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SYMPTOMS
========

A denial of service vulnerability exists in Internet Information Services (IIS)
5.0 because of the way IIS interprets content that contains a particular type of
invalid MIME header. If an attacker places content that contains this type of
defect onto a server, and then requests it, the IIS service is unable to serve
any content until a spurious entry is removed from the File Type table for the
site.

In order to exploit this vulnerability, the attacker must have the ability to
place content onto an affected Web server. However, best practices strongly
recommend that you never allow an untrusted user to install content on a Web
server. The vulnerability affects only IIS 5.0 servers, and does not allow an
attacker to gain any privileges on the server.

CAUSE
=====

This vulnerability occurs because of the way IIS handles MIME information when
serving content. If the MIME content-type information is malformed in a
particular way, the service fails when trying to process it.

RESOLUTION
==========

To resolve this problem, either obtain the hotfix referenced in this section or
Windows 2000 Security Rollup Package 1 (SRP1). For additional information about
SRP1, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:

  Q311401 Windows 2000 Security Rollup Package 1 (SRP1), January 2002

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows 2000. For
additional information, click the following article number to view the article
in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q260910 How to Obtain the Latest Windows 2000 Service Pack

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

  DownloadDownload Q301625_W2K_SP3_x86_en.exe now
  (http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/Release.asp?ReleaseID=32011)

NOTE: This patch can be installed on systems running Windows 2000 Service Pack 1
or Windows 2000 Service Pack 2. You must reapply the security rollup patch after
you install a Windows 2000 Service Pack.

Release Date: August 15, 2001

For additional information about how to download Microsoft Support files, click
the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge
Base:

  Q119591 How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services

Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current
virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was
posted. The file is stored on secure servers that prevent any unauthorized
changes to the file.

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or
later:

  Date         Time   Version        Size     File name
  -------------------------------------------------------
  30-Jul-2001  17:46  5.0.2195.3785  246,032  Httpext.dll


STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed that this problem may cause a degree of security
vulnerability in Internet Information Services 5.0. This problem was first
corrected in Windows 2000 Service Pack 3.

MORE INFORMATION
================

This patch also contains fixes for the problems described in the following
Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

  Q297860 IIS 5.0 Security and Post-Windows NT 4.0 SP5 IIS 4.0 Patch Rollup

For more information on this vulnerability, see the following Microsoft Web
site:

  http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms01-044.asp

For additional information about how to obtain a hotfix for Windows 2000
Datacenter Server, click the article number below to view the article in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q265173 The Datacenter Program and Windows 2000 Datacenter Server Product

For additional information about how to install multiple hotfixes with only one
reboot, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:

  Q296861 Use QChain.exe to Install Multiple Hotfixes with One Reboot


Additional query words: kbIISCom security_patch kbWin2000srp1

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbSecurity kbCOMIS kbWin2000PreSP3Fix KbSECVulnerability KbSECHack KbSECDOS kbWin2000sp3fix 
Technology        : kbiisSearch kbiis500
Version           : :5.0
Hardware          : x86
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

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