Software Engineering Institute

Motive Communications ActiveUtils is a software package used by multiple ISPs to provide service activation, system configuration, and other diagnostics capabilities. The file ActiveUtils.dll provides multiple ActiveX controls that provide this functionality. The ActiveX control ActiveEmailTest.EmailData contains multiple stack buffer overflow vulnerabilities.

By convincing a user to view a specially crafted HTML document (e.g., a web page or an HTML email message or attachment), an attacker may be able to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user. The attacker could also cause Internet Explorer (or the program using the WebBrowser control) to crash.

Apply an update

Please see the Motive Security Bulletin. This vulnerability is also addressed by Microsoft Security Bulletin MS07-045. This update sets the kill bit for the vulnerable control.

Disable the Motive EmailData ActiveX control in Internet Explorer

The vulnerable Motive EmailData ActiveX controls can be disabled in Internet Explorer by setting the kill bit for the following CLSID:

{D256B2D9-9C58-445A-8C38-C3AAA84EF137}
More information about how to set the kill bit is available in Microsoft Support Document 240797. Alternatively, the following text can be saved as a .REG file and imported to set the kill bit for this control:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ActiveX Compatibility\{D256B2D9-9C58-445A-8C38-C3AAA84EF137}]
"Compatibility Flags"=dword:00000400
Disable ActiveX

Disabling ActiveX controls in the Internet Zone (or any zone used by an attacker) appears to prevent exploitation of this and other ActiveX vulnerabilities. Instructions for disabling ActiveX in the Internet Zone can be found in the "Securing Your Web Browser" document.