CVE-2009-1782 in Internet Gatekeeper
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple F-Secure anti-virus products, including Anti-Virus for Microsoft Exchange 7.10 and earlier; Internet Gatekeeper for Windows 6.61 and earlier, Windows 6.61 and earlier, and Linux 2.16 and earlier; Internet Security 2009 and earlier, Anti-Virus 2009 and earlier, Client Security 8.0 and earlier, and others; allow remote attackers to bypass malware detection via a crafted (1) ZIP and (2) RAR archive.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/04/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-1782 represents a critical flaw in multiple F-Secure anti-virus products that affects a broad range of security solutions including Exchange anti-virus, Internet Gatekeeper for Windows and Linux platforms, and various versions of Internet Security and Client Security products. This vulnerability specifically targets the archive file processing capabilities of these anti-virus solutions, creating a significant bypass mechanism that allows malicious actors to evade detection. The flaw manifests through the improper handling of specially crafted ZIP and RAR archive files, which can contain malware payloads that successfully pass through the security scanning mechanisms of affected systems. This issue directly impacts the core functionality of endpoint protection and network security solutions, potentially allowing attackers to deliver malicious content without triggering security alerts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation and processing of archive file structures within the F-Secure anti-virus engines. When these products encounter crafted ZIP or RAR archives, the parsing mechanisms fail to properly analyze or decompress the malicious content, allowing the embedded malware to bypass the standard scanning procedures. This represents a classic case of improper input validation where the security solution does not adequately handle malformed or specially constructed archive files. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-20 as "Improper Input Validation," which is a fundamental weakness in software security that allows attackers to manipulate input data to achieve unintended behavior. The flaw essentially creates a pathway where the anti-virus engine's archive processing logic is circumvented, enabling the execution of malicious code without detection.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses a severe risk to organizations relying on F-Secure products for their security infrastructure. The ability to bypass malware detection through archive files creates multiple attack vectors including email-based attacks, web downloads, and file transfer scenarios where attackers can exploit this weakness to deliver malicious payloads. The impact extends beyond individual endpoints to affect network security gateways and email servers that utilize F-Secure Internet Gatekeeper solutions, potentially compromising entire organizational security perimeters. Organizations using affected versions of F-Secure products face significant exposure to advanced persistent threats and targeted attacks that leverage this specific bypass mechanism. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: Visual Basic" and T1204.002 for "User Execution: Malicious File" as attackers can leverage the bypass to deliver and execute malicious scripts and files without triggering security alerts.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2009-1782 require immediate action from affected organizations to upgrade their F-Secure products to patched versions that address the archive processing flaws. System administrators should implement additional layers of protection including network-based file filtering, email content scanning, and network traffic monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of comprehensive testing of security solutions against known attack patterns and the need for regular security updates to address emerging threats. Organizations should also consider implementing additional security controls such as sandboxing for suspicious archive files and enhanced logging to detect unusual file processing activities. The incident underscores the necessity of maintaining up-to-date security solutions and the critical importance of vulnerability management programs that can quickly respond to security advisories and patches. Security teams should conduct thorough assessments of their current anti-virus configurations and implement monitoring procedures to identify potential exploitation attempts through archive-based attacks.