CVE-2005-3223 in Rising Antivirus
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple interpretation error in unspecified versions of Rising Antivirus allows remote attackers to bypass virus detection via a malicious executable in a specially crafted RAR file with malformed central and local headers, which can still be opened by products such as Winrar and PowerZip, even though they are rejected as corrupted by Winzip and BitZipper.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/26/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-3223 represents a critical flaw in the signature-based detection mechanisms of Rising Antivirus software, specifically affecting unspecified versions of the antivirus platform. This weakness stems from an improper interpretation of archive file structures during the scanning process, creating a significant security gap that adversaries can exploit to evade detection. The vulnerability manifests when the antivirus engine encounters specially crafted RAR archive files containing malicious executables, where the archive's central and local headers have been deliberately malformed to confuse the detection algorithms.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of input boundaries, and CWE-20, which covers improper input validation in software systems. The flaw occurs because Rising Antivirus fails to properly validate the structure of RAR archive headers during the scanning process, allowing attackers to craft archive files that appear legitimate to standard archive utilities like WinRAR and PowerArchiver while simultaneously bypassing the antivirus's detection capabilities. This creates a scenario where the same archive file can be successfully decompressed and executed by legitimate archive tools but remains undetected by the security software.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple evasion, as it demonstrates a fundamental weakness in how the antivirus software processes archive files and interprets file structures. Attackers can leverage this flaw to deliver malicious payloads through seemingly benign RAR archives, potentially bypassing multiple layers of security controls. The vulnerability's effectiveness is heightened by the fact that the malicious files remain accessible to standard archive utilities, making the attack vector more believable and harder to detect. This creates a false sense of security for users who may trust that their archive tools can properly handle the files they encounter.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal technical expertise, as attackers only need to create specially crafted RAR files with malformed headers that will be accepted by legitimate archive software but rejected by the antivirus's signature checking mechanisms. This characteristic makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where users frequently download and execute files from untrusted sources, as the malicious payload can remain undetected for extended periods. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper input validation and boundary checking in security software, as the failure to adequately validate archive file structures creates a persistent threat vector that can be exploited across multiple systems.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of defense to mitigate this vulnerability, including regular updates to antivirus signatures, implementation of heuristic scanning mechanisms, and deployment of network-based intrusion detection systems that can identify suspicious archive file transfers. The vulnerability also underscores the necessity of maintaining current security patches and conducting regular security assessments to identify similar flaws in other security software components. Additionally, users should be educated about the risks of executing files from untrusted sources, particularly when those files arrive in archive formats that may be susceptible to this type of attack.