CVE-2005-1693 in ZoneAlarm
Summary
by MITRE
Integer overflow in Computer Associates Vet Antivirus library, as used by CA InoculateIT 6.0, eTrust Antivirus r6.0 through 7.1, eTrust Antivirus for the Gateway r7.0 and r7.1, eTrust Secure Content Manager, eTrust Intrusion Detection, BrightStor ARCserve Backup (BAB) r11.1, Vet Antivirus, Zonelabs ZoneAlarm Security Suite, and ZoneAlarm Antivirus, allows remote attackers to gain privileges via a compressed VBA directory with a project name length of -1, which leads to a heap-based buffer overflow.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/02/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-1693 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within the Computer Associates Vet Antivirus library that affects multiple security products including CA InoculateIT 6.0, eTrust Antivirus versions 6.0 through 7.1, eTrust Antivirus for the Gateway r7.0 and r7.1, eTrust Secure Content Manager, eTrust Intrusion Detection, BrightStor ARCserve Backup r11.1, Vet Antivirus, Zonelabs ZoneAlarm Security Suite, and ZoneAlarm Antivirus. This vulnerability stems from improper handling of compressed VBA directory project names where a negative value of -1 is processed as the project name length, triggering an integer overflow condition that ultimately results in a heap-based buffer overflow. The flaw exists in the decompression and parsing logic of the antivirus engine when processing specially crafted compressed files.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of the project name length parameter within compressed VBA directories to an integer overflow condition. When the antivirus library processes a compressed file with a project name length set to -1, the integer overflow occurs during the calculation of buffer allocation sizes, causing the system to allocate insufficient memory for the buffer. This misallocation leads to a heap-based buffer overflow where subsequent data written to the improperly sized buffer can overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The vulnerability specifically targets the heap memory management within the antivirus parsing routines, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited to gain system-level access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple security platforms and applications that rely on the affected Vet Antivirus library, creating widespread potential for privilege escalation attacks. Attackers can remotely exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious compressed files with specially formatted VBA directories containing the -1 project name length value, effectively bypassing normal security controls and potentially gaining unauthorized administrative access to systems running the vulnerable software. The exploitation capability is enhanced by the fact that the vulnerability affects multiple products from the same vendor ecosystem, meaning that a single attack vector can compromise various security solutions deployed across enterprise environments. This makes the vulnerability particularly concerning from a threat actor perspective as it provides a scalable attack method against organizations using multiple products from the affected vendor.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2005-1693 should focus on immediate patch deployment for all affected products and implementation of network-based restrictions to prevent processing of untrusted compressed files. Organizations should prioritize updating to patched versions of all affected antivirus software, including CA InoculateIT, eTrust Antivirus, BrightStor ARCserve Backup, and ZoneAlarm products. The fix typically involves implementing proper input validation and integer overflow checks within the decompression routines, ensuring that negative values or excessively large values for project name lengths are rejected before buffer allocation occurs. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing file type restrictions and content scanning for compressed files, particularly those containing VBA macros, as part of layered defense strategies. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-190, Integer Overflow or Wraparound, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for execution through macro commands, highlighting the need for comprehensive endpoint protection and input sanitization measures.
The vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly minor input validation flaws in security software can create significant privilege escalation opportunities, particularly when the affected software processes untrusted content from network sources. The integer overflow condition creates a predictable memory corruption scenario that attackers can leverage for code execution, making it a prime target for exploitation in targeted attacks against enterprise security infrastructure. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running affected software versions and implement monitoring for suspicious file processing activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. The security implications extend beyond simple privilege escalation to include potential data compromise and system takeover scenarios, emphasizing the critical importance of timely patch management and comprehensive security posture maintenance.