CVE-2006-3977 in eTrust Antivirus WebScan
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in CA eTrust Antivirus WebScan before 1.1.0.1048 has unknown impact and remote attackers related to "improper processing of outdated WebScan components."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/21/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2006-3977 affects CA eTrust Antivirus WebScan versions prior to 1.1.0.1048, representing a critical security flaw in enterprise antivirus software that could enable remote attackers to exploit improper handling of outdated WebScan components. This unspecified vulnerability demonstrates the inherent risks associated with legacy security software maintenance and component management within corporate environments. The issue stems from the software's failure to properly validate or process outdated WebScan components, creating potential attack vectors that could be leveraged by malicious actors without requiring local system access or elevated privileges. Such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous in enterprise settings where antivirus solutions serve as primary defense mechanisms against various cyber threats.
The technical nature of this flaw lies in the improper processing of outdated WebScan components, which suggests a failure in the software's update validation mechanisms or component lifecycle management. Attackers could potentially exploit this weakness by manipulating or injecting outdated components into the WebScan process, leading to unexpected behavior or unauthorized code execution within the antivirus framework. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which addresses "Improper Input Validation" and commonly occurs when software fails to properly validate or sanitize input data or components that are expected to be updated or replaced. The improper handling of outdated components could result in a variety of security consequences including privilege escalation, information disclosure, or system compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple exploitation potential to encompass broader enterprise security implications. Organizations relying on CA eTrust Antivirus WebScan versions before 1.1.0.1048 face significant risks as attackers could potentially bypass security controls or manipulate the antivirus system to their advantage. This vulnerability particularly affects the integrity of the security ecosystem, as the antivirus software itself becomes a potential attack vector rather than a protective mechanism. The remote nature of the attack means that adversaries do not require physical access to systems, making this vulnerability especially concerning for distributed enterprise environments where network-based attacks are common. From an attack chain perspective, this vulnerability could map to multiple ATT&CK techniques including T1059 for execution and T1566 for initial access through social engineering or compromised components.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-3977 should prioritize immediate software updates to version 1.1.0.1048 or later, which would address the improper processing of outdated WebScan components. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures specifically targeting legacy antivirus software components and establish monitoring protocols for unusual behavior in antivirus systems. Security teams should also consider network segmentation and monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts, while conducting thorough vulnerability assessments of other legacy security components that may exhibit similar improper processing behaviors. The remediation process must include verification that all outdated WebScan components have been properly removed or updated, and organizations should implement automated systems to prevent installation of untrusted or outdated security components. Additionally, incident response procedures should be updated to address potential exploitation of this vulnerability, including specific detection signatures for anomalous WebScan component behavior and protocols for immediate isolation of affected systems.