CVE-2006-0338 in F-Secure
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple F-Secure Anti-Virus products and versions for Windows and Linux, including Anti-Virus for Windows Servers 5.52 and earlier, Internet Security 2004, 2005 and 2006, and Anti-Virus for Linux Servers 4.64 and earlier, allow remote attackers to hide arbitrary files and data via malformed (1) RAR and (2) ZIP archives, which are not properly scanned.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/13/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-0338 represents a significant security flaw in multiple F-Secure Anti-Virus products across both Windows and Linux platforms. This weakness specifically affects versions of F-Secure Anti-Virus for Windows Servers 5.52 and earlier, Internet Security 2004, 2005, and 2006, as well as Anti-Virus for Linux Servers 4.64 and earlier. The flaw stems from inadequate handling of archive files during the scanning process, creating a critical bypass mechanism that allows malicious actors to evade detection.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the improper parsing of malformed RAR and ZIP archive files within the antivirus scanning pipeline. When these corrupted archive files are processed by the affected F-Secure products, the scanning engine fails to properly examine the contents of the archives, effectively allowing malicious files to remain hidden from detection. This behavior occurs because the antivirus software does not adequately validate the structure and integrity of archive files before attempting to scan their contents. The flaw specifically impacts the decompression and content extraction phases of the scanning process, where malformed archive structures cause the scanner to skip or misinterpret file contents rather than properly analyze them.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a substantial risk for organizations relying on F-Secure antivirus solutions, as it provides a direct method for attackers to bypass security controls. The ability to hide arbitrary files and data through malformed archives means that malware authors can potentially deliver payloads that would otherwise be detected by standard antivirus scanning. This threat vector is particularly dangerous because it exploits the fundamental trust users place in antivirus software to detect and neutralize malicious content. The vulnerability effectively undermines the core purpose of antivirus protection by allowing threat actors to craft archive files that appear benign to the scanner while containing malicious payloads.
The impact of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-129, which describes improper validation of input, and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for the use of archive files to deliver malicious payloads. Organizations using affected F-Secure products face potential data breaches, malware infections, and unauthorized access to their systems. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers can exploit it without requiring local system access, making it particularly dangerous for network-based attacks. System administrators must consider that this flaw could allow persistent threats to establish footholds within networks, as the hidden files could contain backdoors, rootkits, or other malicious tools that remain undetected by the antivirus solution.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include immediate upgrading to patched versions of F-Secure Anti-Virus products, as well as implementing additional security measures such as network-based intrusion detection systems, file integrity monitoring, and regular security audits. Organizations should also consider implementing multiple layers of security controls, since no single antivirus solution can be relied upon to detect all threats. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and the need for comprehensive security testing of archive handling functionality. Additionally, security teams should establish procedures for identifying and quarantining suspicious archive files, even when they are not directly scanned by antivirus software, as this vulnerability highlights the potential for archive-based attacks to bypass traditional security controls.