CVE-2005-3664 in Kaspersky
Summary
by MITRE
Heap-based buffer overflow in Kaspersky Anti-Virus Engine, as used in Kaspersky Personal 5.0.227, Anti-Virus On-Demand Scanner for Linux 5.0.5, and F-Secure Anti-Virus for Linux 4.50 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted CHM file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/11/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-3664 represents a critical heap-based buffer overflow affecting multiple antivirus solutions including Kaspersky Personal 5.0.227, Kaspersky Anti-Virus On-Demand Scanner for Linux 5.0.5, and F-Secure Anti-Virus for Linux 4.50. This flaw exists within the anti-virus engine's handling of Compiled HTML Help (.chm) files, which are commonly used documentation formats that can contain embedded executable content. The vulnerability stems from insufficient bounds checking during the parsing of CHM file structures, specifically when processing compressed content within these files. The heap-based nature of the overflow indicates that the vulnerability occurs in dynamically allocated memory regions, making it particularly dangerous as attackers can manipulate heap metadata to achieve arbitrary code execution. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-121, heap-based buffer overflow, which is classified as a critical weakness in software security architecture.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a maliciously crafted CHM file is processed by any of the affected antivirus products. During the decompression and parsing of the CHM file, the anti-virus engine fails to properly validate the size of data structures before copying data into heap-allocated buffers. When the attacker-controlled data exceeds the allocated buffer boundaries, it overflows into adjacent memory locations, potentially corrupting heap metadata or overwriting return addresses and function pointers. This allows remote attackers to inject and execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the antivirus process, which typically runs with elevated system permissions. The attack vector is particularly concerning because CHM files are commonly distributed through legitimate means and can be easily embedded in web content, email attachments, or downloaded software packages, making this a highly exploitable vulnerability in real-world scenarios.
The operational impact of CVE-2005-3664 extends beyond simple code execution, as it fundamentally compromises the security posture of systems running the affected antivirus software. Since these products are designed to protect against malware and other security threats, their compromise creates a significant attack surface where malicious actors can bypass security controls. The vulnerability affects multiple platforms including Linux systems, indicating that organizations using these specific versions of antivirus software face a broad range of potential attacks. The remote execution capability means that attackers do not need physical access to the target system, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where antivirus solutions are deployed across numerous endpoints. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and persistence, as the successful exploitation would allow attackers to establish a foothold that could be used for further reconnaissance and lateral movement within the network.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigation strategies including patching the affected antivirus software to the latest available versions that contain fixes for the heap overflow issue. System administrators should also consider implementing network-level controls to block or scan CHM files before they reach endpoints, as well as monitoring for suspicious execution patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation in security software, particularly in anti-virus engines that must process potentially malicious content from various file formats. Additionally, organizations should conduct vulnerability assessments to identify systems running the affected versions and ensure that all security updates are properly deployed across their infrastructure. The incident underscores the critical need for regular security testing and the importance of maintaining up-to-date security software to protect against known vulnerabilities that could be exploited by threat actors.