Since files can be loaded directly from network shares or WebDAV resources, this arbitrary code execution condition also has a remote attack vector. Some of them called a Vista or 7-only DLL when running on Windows XP, which allowed for a rogue file with the same name to be placed in the working dir and get executed. This type of weakness began being publicly discussed a few months back and hundreds of applications, including some of the most popular ones, were deemed vulnerable. The DLL call usually happens when a particular action is performed in the program, such as opening a certain file, and in many cases, the working directory takes precedence in the search path. When a DLL is called by a program without specifying its full path, the operating system automatically searches for it in a series of predefined places in order. A security and stability update has been released for Adobe Illustrator CS5, fixing a DLL preloading vulnerability which could be exploited to execute arbitrary code.Īlso known as DLL hijacking, binary planting or DLL side loading, this type of vulnerability stems from the use of an insecure search path by some library loading functions.
