CVE-2004-2220 in F-Secure
Summary
by MITRE
F-Secure Anti-Virus for Microsoft Exchange 6.30 and 6.31 does not properly detect certain password-protected files in a ZIP file, which allows remote attackers to bypass anti-virus protection.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/30/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2220 affects F-Secure Anti-Virus for Microsoft Exchange versions 6.30 and 6.31, representing a critical flaw in antivirus detection capabilities that directly impacts email security systems. This weakness stems from insufficient analysis of password-protected archives within the email content scanning process, creating a significant security gap that adversaries can exploit to circumvent protective measures. The vulnerability specifically targets the handling of ZIP files containing password-protected content, where the antivirus software fails to properly examine or recognize the presence of malicious payloads within these encrypted archives.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper handling of password-protected ZIP archives during email content inspection, where the antivirus engine does not adequately validate or scan the contents of encrypted files within the archive. This failure occurs at the archive extraction and content analysis stage, where the software's detection algorithms either skip or inadequately process password-protected files, allowing potentially harmful code to pass undetected through the security screening process. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-20, representing improper input validation, and specifically relates to inadequate handling of compressed file formats in security scanning contexts. This flaw demonstrates a fundamental weakness in the antivirus software's ability to properly analyze complex file structures and their contents.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial, as it enables remote attackers to bypass critical email security protections by embedding malicious code within password-protected ZIP archives. Attackers can exploit this weakness to deliver malware, phishing payloads, or other malicious content that would normally be detected by the antivirus system. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations relying on Exchange Server environments where email security is paramount, potentially leading to unauthorized access, data breaches, or system compromise. This weakness undermines the fundamental security posture of email systems by creating a tunnel through which threats can enter networks undetected, making it a particularly dangerous vulnerability in enterprise environments.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including updating to patched versions of F-Secure Anti-Virus for Microsoft Exchange, implementing additional email security layers such as content filtering solutions, and establishing enhanced monitoring protocols for suspicious email traffic. The mitigation strategy should also include configuring the antivirus software to perform more thorough analysis of compressed file formats, potentially implementing additional validation checks beyond the default scanning behavior. Security administrators should consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems that can identify suspicious patterns in email traffic, as well as establishing incident response procedures specifically addressing potential exploitation of this vulnerability. This issue aligns with ATT&CK technique T1193, which involves the use of email to deliver malware, and demonstrates how inadequate security controls can enable adversary operations. The vulnerability represents a critical failure in the defense-in-depth principle, where multiple layers of security should have prevented the bypass of protection mechanisms.