CVE-2008-0792 in Internet Security
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple F-Secure anti-virus products, including Internet Security 2006 through 2008, Anti-Virus 2006 through 2008, F-Secure Protection Service, and others, allow remote attackers to bypass malware detection via a crafted CAB archive.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/08/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-0792 represents a critical flaw in multiple F-Secure anti-virus products spanning versions 2006 through 2008. This weakness specifically affects the malware detection mechanisms within these security solutions, creating a significant risk for users who rely on these products for protection against malicious software. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of CAB archive files, which are commonly used compression formats in Windows environments and are frequently employed by malware authors to deliver malicious payloads. The flaw allows remote attackers to craft specially designed CAB archives that can evade detection by the affected F-Secure products, effectively bypassing the core functionality that these security solutions are designed to provide.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the anti-virus software's inability to properly analyze or decompress certain crafted CAB archives, leading to false negatives in malware detection. When the F-Secure products encounter these maliciously constructed archive files, their heuristic analysis and signature matching mechanisms fail to identify the embedded threats, allowing potentially harmful code to pass through undetected. This represents a failure in the software's archive processing engine, where the product's ability to extract and analyze contents from compressed files is compromised. The vulnerability specifically targets the decompression and content analysis routines within the F-Secure security suite, creating a pathway for attackers to exploit weaknesses in the product's defensive capabilities.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-0792 extends beyond simple malware detection failure, as it fundamentally undermines the trust users place in their security solutions. Organizations and individuals relying on these F-Secure products may experience false security assurance while unknowingly exposing their systems to malicious attacks. The remote nature of the exploit means that attackers can leverage this vulnerability from outside the network perimeter, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where network segmentation may not fully protect against such threats. This vulnerability creates a significant risk for targeted attacks where adversaries can craft CAB files to bypass security measures, potentially leading to data breaches, system compromise, and other malicious activities that the anti-virus products were specifically designed to prevent.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-471, which addresses the issue of incorrect behavior by external entity, and represents a classic case of improper input validation in security software. The flaw demonstrates how attackers can manipulate legitimate file formats to exploit weaknesses in security products, creating a scenario where the very tools designed to protect systems become ineffective. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving evasion and execution, as it allows adversaries to bypass defensive measures and execute malicious code. Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including updating to patched versions of F-Secure products, implementing additional network monitoring, and deploying alternative security controls to compensate for the temporary loss of protection. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of thorough testing of security products against crafted inputs and the need for continuous vulnerability assessment of anti-virus solutions to ensure they maintain effective protection against evolving threats.