CVE-2010-2265

Vulnerability

The vulnerability is a cross-site scripting (XSS) flaw in the GetServerName function within sysinfo/commonFunc.js of the Microsoft Windows Help and Support Center. It affects Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. The issue occurs when the svr parameter is passed to sysinfo/sysinfomain.htm without proper sanitization, allowing an attacker to inject arbitrary web script or HTML.

Exploitation

An attacker can exploit this by crafting a malicious URL containing a specially crafted svr parameter and tricking a user into visiting it, typically via a web browser. No authentication is required. This XSS can be leveraged with CVE-2010-1885 to execute arbitrary commands without user interaction, as noted in the CVE description.

Impact

Successful exploitation allows the attacker to inject and execute arbitrary script in the context of the Help and Support Center application. When combined with CVE-2010-1885, this can lead to remote code execution with the privileges of the current user, potentially compromising the entire system.

Mitigation

As of the available references, no official patch is documented. However, a workaround is provided by CERT/CC [2]: disabling the HCP protocol handler by removing the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\HCP\shell\open registry key. Additionally, upgrading to Windows Media Player 10 or later can help mitigate some attack vectors by prompting the user before loading external content [2]. Users should also follow general web browser security guidelines.