Executive brief
A vulnerability in Windows NT 4.0 allows an attacker to remotely crash the operating system. By sending a specially crafted login request over the network, an attacker can cause the system to stop responding or reboot. This results in a denial of service, disrupting business operations and making the server unavailable to legitimate users.
Technical details
A denial of service vulnerability exists in the SMB (Server Message Block) implementation of Windows NT 4.0. The flaw is triggered when the system processes a malformed SMB logon request where the actual payload size differs from the size specified in the packet header. A remote, unauthenticated attacker can exploit this by sending a crafted packet to the target system, leading to a system crash or hang. Microsoft addressed this issue in Knowledge Base article 180963.
Affected products
- Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
Timeline
- 1998-02-14: advisory: NVD published date