CVE-2006-6458 in PC Cillin Internet Security 2006
Summary
by MITRE
The Trend Micro scan engine before 8.320 for Windows and before 8.150 on HP-UX and AIX, as used in Trend Micro PC Cillin - Internet Security 2006, Office Scan 7.3, and Server Protect 5.58, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption and system hang) via a malformed RAR archive with an Archive Header section with the head_size and pack_size fields set to zero, which triggers an infinite loop.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/13/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-6458 represents a critical denial of service weakness affecting Trend Micro security products that utilize the scan engine version prior to 8.320 on Windows and 8.150 on HP-UX and AIX platforms. This flaw specifically targets the processing of RAR archive files through the Archive Header section where both head_size and pack_size fields are manipulated to zero values. The vulnerability manifests within Trend Micro PC Cillin - Internet Security 2006, Office Scan 7.3, and Server Protect 5.58 products, creating a scenario where legitimate security scanning operations become compromised. The technical implementation involves the scan engine's failure to properly validate archive header parameters before proceeding with decompression and analysis processes.
The core technical flaw stems from inadequate input validation within the RAR file processing module, where the scan engine does not properly check the integrity of header fields before attempting to parse archive data. When encountering a malformed RAR archive with head_size and pack_size fields set to zero, the processing logic falls into an infinite loop condition. This occurs because the zero values trigger a parsing mechanism that continuously attempts to read or process data segments that logically cannot be processed due to their invalid size parameters. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-835, which describes the weakness of a loop with an incorrect termination condition, specifically an infinite loop that consumes excessive CPU resources. The implementation error occurs at the archive parsing layer where the scan engine assumes valid data structures without proper validation checks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise system availability and stability across enterprise environments. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious RAR archives that trigger the infinite loop condition, causing sustained high CPU utilization that may lead to complete system hangs or crashes. This denial of service scenario affects not only individual workstations but also server environments where Trend Micro products are deployed for network-wide protection. The vulnerability creates a cascading effect where system resources become consumed entirely by the processing loop, preventing legitimate security operations from functioning properly. Organizations relying on these security products for protection against malware and other threats face the risk of their defensive infrastructure becoming unavailable during critical security events, creating a dangerous window of exposure.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-6458 should focus on immediate patch deployment to upgrade Trend Micro scan engine components to versions 8.320 or later on Windows platforms and 8.150 or later on HP-UX and AIX systems. Network administrators should implement proactive monitoring to detect unusual CPU consumption patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, and organizations should consider implementing network segmentation to limit the impact of such attacks. Additionally, security teams should establish file type filtering policies to restrict the processing of RAR archives from untrusted sources, while maintaining comprehensive logging of security product operations to detect anomalous behavior. System administrators should also consider implementing resource limits and process monitoring to prevent single processes from consuming excessive CPU cycles, providing an additional layer of defense against this specific denial of service condition.