Microsoft KB Archive/239104

= Jet Expression Can Execute Unsafe Visual Basic for Applications Functions =

Article ID: 239104

Article Last Modified on 1/25/2007

-

APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Open Database Connectivity Driver for Access 3.5
 * Microsoft Access 95 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Access 97 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Office 97 Professional Edition

-



This article was previously published under Q239104





Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.



SYMPTOMS
Using Jet 3.5x, a user can call unsafe Visual Basic for Applications functions in query statements from all types of Jet applications, such as ODBC or Access. For example, the following statement would result in all files being deleted from a computer's current folder:

SELECT Shell("Cmd /c del *.*") As c1 From Customers

NOTE: The Shell command in this example works in Microsoft Windows NT. The command would have to be modified as follows to work on a computer running Microsoft Windows 95/98:

SELECT Shell("Command.com /c del *.*") As c1 From Customers

The security risk occurs when expressions contain Visual Basic for Application commands that can be harmful to a computer running the query, for example, Shell commands to delete files or format the computer.



CAUSE
Jet queries can contain Visual Basic for Applications expressions. These are evaluated during query execution, a behavior that is desirable in many circumstances. However, if part of the query contains the Shell command, it is parsed and executed on the computer.

You can block such operations, which is called "Sandbox mode." However, by default in Microsoft Jet 3.5x, Sandbox mode is not enabled for any applications that can issue Visual Basic for Applications commands.



RESOLUTION
In order to enable Sandbox mode, you must first install the Microsoft Jet 3.5 SP3 update. After installing this update, the next time that you run Jet, a new registry key is added to the registry. You can use this new registry key to prevent this type of security risk. The following is the registry key that is added:   \\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Jet\3.5\engines\SandboxMode For additional information about how to obtain the Microsoft Jet 3.5 SP3 update, please click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

172733 Updated Version of Microsoft Jet 3.5 Available on MSL

To make your system more resistant to malicious attacks while at the same time making it possible for older applications to keep running, the operation of the Sandbox box mode has changed in the Jet update so that it is fully under your control.

You can set the key to the following values, with 0 (zero) being most permissive and 3 being least permissive:



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.



MORE INFORMATION
With Sandbox mode enabled, if you try to use Visual Basic for Applications functions in a Jet query that are not considered safe, you receive the following error message:

JET_errExprUnknownFunction

Sandbox Mode Operations Allowed
The following is a list of functions that you can use in Jet queries when Sandbox mode is enabled. Any functions that do not appear in the list are not available in Sandbox mode.

Additional query words: pra

Keywords: kbbug kbpending KB239104

-

[mailto:TECHNET@MICROSOFT.COM Send feedback to Microsoft]

© Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.