CVE-2008-1738 in Rising
Summary
by MITRE
Rising Antivirus 2008 before 20.38.20 allows local users to cause a denial of service (system crash) via an invalid pointer to the _CLIENT_ID structure in a call to the NtOpenProcess hooked System Service Descriptor Table (SSDT) function.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/23/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-1738 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Rising Antivirus 2008 versions prior to 20.38.20. This issue stems from improper validation of input parameters within the antivirus software's kernel-level system calls, specifically affecting the NtOpenProcess function that is part of the Windows operating system's subsystem. The vulnerability exploits the hooking mechanism of the System Service Descriptor Table which serves as a critical interface between user-mode applications and kernel-mode services in Windows operating systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through manipulation of the _CLIENT_ID structure, which contains process identifier information used by Windows kernel functions. When a local user crafts a malicious call to NtOpenProcess with an invalid pointer to this structure, the antivirus software's hooked SSDT function fails to properly validate the pointer before attempting to access it. This leads to a kernel-level memory access violation that results in system instability and ultimately causes the operating system to crash. The flaw resides in the antivirus software's attempt to intercept and monitor system calls while failing to implement proper pointer validation mechanisms.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to system availability and stability within environments where Rising Antivirus 2008 is deployed. The local privilege requirement means that an attacker must already have access to the system to exploit this vulnerability, but the potential impact remains severe as system crashes can result in data loss, service interruption, and potential denial of service for legitimate users. The vulnerability directly impacts the availability aspect of the CIA triad, as system crashes prevent normal operation and access to critical services. Organizations relying on this antivirus solution face the risk of unexpected system downtime and potential business disruption.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes "Out-of-bounds Read" conditions, and represents a specific case where improper pointer validation leads to memory access violations. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability could be categorized under T1499.004, "System Shutdown/Reboot" or T1566.001, "Phishing with Malicious Attachment" if exploited through user interaction, though the local privilege requirement limits its initial exploitation vector. The SSDT hooking mechanism represents a sophisticated approach to system monitoring but introduces complexity that can lead to such memory corruption issues when not properly managed. Organizations should implement immediate patch management procedures to address this vulnerability, as the fix involves updating to Rising Antivirus 2008 version 20.38.20 or later, which contains proper pointer validation mechanisms. Additionally, system administrators should consider implementing additional monitoring for abnormal system crashes and ensure proper system hardening practices to minimize the attack surface for similar vulnerabilities in other security software components.