Directory traversal vulnerability in a third-party compression library (UNACEV2.DLL), as used in avast! Antivirus Home/Professional Edition 4.6.665 and Server Edition 4.6.460, allows remote attackers to write arbitrary files via an ACE archive containing filenames with (1) .. or (2) absolute pathnames.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/12/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2005-2384 represents a critical directory traversal flaw within the UNACEV2.DLL compression library component that forms part of avast software versions were widely deployed across corporate and home networks, amplifying the potential impact of this vulnerability. The issue demonstrates the importance of third-party library security auditing, as vulnerabilities in supporting components can compromise the security of entire applications. Security professionals should consider this vulnerability as part of broader file system access control assessments, particularly when evaluating decompression functionality within security software. Mitigation strategies include immediate software updates to patched versions, implementation of network-based file filtering to block suspicious archive files, and enhanced monitoring of file system access patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also underscores the necessity of input validation and proper path sanitization in all file handling operations, regardless of the application's security posture. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify similar weaknesses in other third-party libraries and decompression utilities within their security infrastructure.