Microsoft investigating Windows Media Player flaws

Microsoft this week warned Windows Media Player users that a flaw in the program is susceptible to proof-of-concept malicious code.

Redmond is investigating reports of PoC code using Windows Media ASX files, although the company is not aware of any attacks.

A malicious user could employ a corrupted file to cause Media Player to overrun a heap-allocated bugger, potentially leading to remote code execution, according to a post on the Microsoft Security Response Center blog by researcher Alexandra Huft.

An attacker could use the flaw to cause a DoS attack or compromise a user's system, according to a Secunia report.

The flaw is caused by a boundary error when handling "REF HREF" tags in ASX playlists. It has been reported in version 10.00.00.4036.

Earlier this week, Microsoft revealed that it will release six security fixes on Tuesday as part of its monthly patch distribution.

The software giant did not say it would release a Patch Tuesday fix for a recently discovered flaw in Microsoft Word, despite active attacks against the vulnerability in the wild.