Microsoft warned Windows NT and 2000 users on Wednesday of a new flaw in its debugger tools that could let attackers give themselves complete control of a system once they've gained basic access to that system.
The vulnerability involves a flaw in the debugger's authorization feature. The flaw lets any user run any program on the system, with the highest privileges.
The hole could be used in conjunction with other Windows vulnerabilities that allow a remote attacker to run as a local user, said Marc Maiffret, chief hacking officer with network-protection company eEye Digital Security.
"By itself, I would say it's not that dangerous, but coupled with other vulnerabilities, it's nasty," Maiffret said. "It makes threats like Nimda possible."
The Nimda worm used a similar double whammy to gain base-level access to a system and then elevate its privileges to take control of the infected computer.
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