CVE-2005-1978

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability either locally or remotely to execute arbitrary code with full system privileges [ref_id=1]. The COM+ component improperly creates and uses memory structures, allowing an attacker to corrupt memory and gain control of the affected system [ref_id=1]. On Windows 2000 and Windows XP Service Pack 1 the vulnerability is rated Critical for remote code execution; on other platforms it is rated Important [ref_id=1]. Firewall best practices and disabling the Distributed Transaction Coordinator are listed as workarounds to block known attack vectors [ref_id=1].

The advisory does not specify the exact functions or files at fault. It describes the vulnerability as occurring in the COM+ subsystem of Microsoft Windows, where the component does not properly "create and use memory structures" [ref_id=1]. No patch diff or source file paths are provided in the bundle.

The security update corrects the way COM+ creates and uses memory structures, eliminating the memory corruption condition that could be leveraged for code execution [ref_id=1]. The advisory does not provide a source-level patch diff, but states that the update addresses the underlying defect in memory structure handling [ref_id=1]. No further technical details about the fix mechanism are disclosed in the bundle.