COMMAND
MS Exchange
SYSTEMS AFFECTED
- Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server CDs without "Rev. A" stamped on the CD on the line below the Part No.
- Microsoft Exchange 2000 Enterprise Server CDs without "Rev. A" stamped on the CD below the Part No.
PROBLEM
Following is based on a Microsoft Security Bulletin (MS00-088).
In early shipments of Exchange 2000, setup creates an account
with a known username and password. If a malicious user learned
the username and password, he or she could log onto the account.
Under normal circumstances, this account only has local user
rights - it is not a privileged account and cannot access
Exchange 2000 data. However, if Exchange 2000 were installed on
a Domain Controller, the account would also have Domain user
privileges, and could thus gain access to other resources in the
affected Domain. Nevertheless, he would still be restricted from
accessing Exchange 2000 data.
This also applies to evaluation editions and to Microsoft Exchange
2000 Server and Microsoft Exchange 2000 Enterprise Server included
on the October 2000 Select CDs.
SOLUTION
To eliminate the security vulnerability, Microsoft has provided a
manual procedure, discussed in the FAQ, and a tool to protect
their customers. Microsoft also recommends that customers affected
by this vulnerability disable or delete this account after setup
completes. In addition, Exchange 2000 SP1 will contain a fix that
removes this vulnerability. The Tool can be downloaded from:
http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/Release.asp?ReleaseID=25866