Memory Leak When You Use the Microsoft Base Cryptographic Provider

When you run a program that repeatedly calls CryptAcquireContext(), each CryptAcquireContext() call generates a 100 kilobyte (KB) memory leak.

This problem can occur if you are running the Microsoft Base Cryptographic Provider (Rsabase.dll) version 1877 that is included with Internet Explorer version 5.01. This version of the Rsabase.dll file calls MapViewOfFile on itself to examine the appended signature for comparison with the signature in the registry. This problem occurs because the mapped view is not correctly released, and this causes a memory leak that is equal to the size of the Rsabase.dll file.

A supported fix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Apply it only to computers that are experiencing this specific problem. This fix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Windows NT 4.0 service pack that contains this fix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:NOTE: In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The typical support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

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