CVE-2004-2305 in eTrust Antivirus EE
Summary
by MITRE
Computer Associates eTrust Antivirus EE 6.0 through 7.0 allows remote attackers to bypass virus scanning by including a password-protected file in a ZIP file, which causes eTrust to scan only the password protected file and skip the other files.
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/17/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-2305 represents a significant security flaw in Computer Associates eTrust Antivirus Enterprise Edition versions 6.0 through 7.0 that fundamentally undermines the antivirus protection mechanism. This weakness stems from the software's improper handling of password-protected archives, specifically ZIP files, during the scanning process. The flaw creates a scenario where the antivirus solution fails to perform comprehensive threat detection on the entire archive content, leaving malicious payloads hidden within password-protected files completely unprotected.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs at the archive processing level where eTrust Antivirus EE exhibits a flawed decision-making algorithm when encountering password-protected files within ZIP archives. When the antivirus engine encounters a password-protected file, it incorrectly assumes that the entire archive should be treated as a single protected entity and proceeds to scan only the password-protected file while completely skipping the examination of all other files contained within the same archive. This behavior violates fundamental security principles where comprehensive file system scanning should occur regardless of archive structure or encryption status, as outlined in the CWE-119 weakness category related to improper handling of archive files and the CWE-310 weakness category addressing cryptographic implementation flaws.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple bypass of virus scanning, creating a substantial attack surface for malicious actors who can leverage this weakness to deliver targeted payloads. Attackers can craft malicious ZIP archives containing both legitimate files and malicious payloads hidden within password-protected components, knowing that the antivirus solution will only scan the password-protected file while ignoring the potentially harmful content in other archive members. This allows for sophisticated social engineering attacks where attackers can include seemingly benign files alongside malicious code, making detection significantly more challenging. The vulnerability directly relates to the ATT&CK technique T1027.001 (Obfuscated Files or Information) and T1070.004 (File Deletion) as attackers can exploit this weakness to ensure their payloads remain undetected while maintaining the appearance of legitimate archive content.
This vulnerability demonstrates a critical failure in the antivirus solution's archive handling logic and represents a design flaw in the threat detection methodology. The software's inability to maintain consistent scanning behavior across different archive types creates a false sense of security for users who believe their systems are protected against all threats contained within compressed files. The flaw affects the core security principle of defense in depth, as the antivirus solution fails to provide complete coverage when processing archive files, particularly those with password protection mechanisms. Organizations using affected versions of eTrust Antivirus EE may experience significant security gaps, especially in environments where archive files are frequently processed and where threat actors have knowledge of this specific vulnerability.
The recommended mitigations for this vulnerability include immediate patching of affected eTrust Antivirus EE versions to the latest available updates from Computer Associates, which should address the flawed archive processing logic. Organizations should also implement additional security controls such as network-based file filtering to scan archive contents before they reach endpoint systems, and consider deploying multiple layers of security including email filtering and web proxy scanning to catch threats that might bypass endpoint protection. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify any other potentially affected systems and consider implementing network segmentation to limit the impact of successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security testing and validation of antivirus solutions to ensure they maintain their effectiveness against evolving attack techniques and that organizations maintain up-to-date security solutions to prevent exploitation of known weaknesses.