CVE-2009-3177 in Kaspersky Anti-virus Scanner
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Kaspersky Online Scanner 7.0 has unknown impact and attack vectors, as demonstrated by a certain module in VulnDisco Pack Professional 8.8, (1) "Kaspersky Online Antivirus Scanner 7.0 exploit (Linux)" and (2) "Kaspersky Online Antivirus Scanner 7.0 exploit (Windows)." NOTE: as of 20090909, this disclosure has no actionable information. However, because the VulnDisco Pack author is a reliable researcher, the issue is being assigned a CVE identifier for tracking purposes.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/26/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-3177 pertains to an unspecified security flaw within Kaspersky Online Scanner version 7.0, a security tool designed to provide real-time protection against malware and other malicious software threats. This particular vulnerability was flagged through reports from the VulnDisco Pack Professional 8.8, which contained specific exploitation modules targeting the scanner's functionality on both Linux and Windows operating systems. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified indicates that at the time of disclosure, security researchers had not yet fully characterized the exact nature of the weakness or its potential attack surface, though the presence of working exploits suggested a significant security risk. The vulnerability was particularly concerning because it demonstrated that attackers could potentially compromise the scanner's functionality, potentially allowing them to bypass security protections or execute arbitrary code on affected systems.
The technical nature of this vulnerability appears to involve a weakness that affects the Kaspersky Online Scanner's processing of certain input or commands, though the specific implementation flaw remains unspecified in the initial disclosure. The fact that exploitation modules were available for both Linux and Windows platforms suggests that the vulnerability may have been present in the scanner's cross-platform compatibility layer or in how it handled system interactions. The vulnerability's classification under CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) would likely fall into categories related to input validation or privilege escalation, though the exact weakness classification was not provided in the initial report. This type of vulnerability in security software is particularly dangerous because it could potentially allow attackers to undermine the very protection mechanisms that users rely upon to secure their systems against malware threats.
The operational impact of CVE-2009-3177 was significant for organizations and individuals using Kaspersky Online Scanner 7.0, as it represented a potential backdoor that attackers could exploit to gain unauthorized access to systems or compromise the scanner's ability to detect and remove malicious software. The presence of working exploits specifically targeting both operating systems indicated that the vulnerability was not merely theoretical but had real-world implications for system security. Organizations that had deployed this version of the scanner were potentially at risk of having their security monitoring capabilities compromised, which could lead to undetected malware infections and broader system compromises. The vulnerability's potential to affect both Linux and Windows environments made it particularly concerning for heterogeneous IT environments where multiple operating systems coexist.
The security community's response to CVE-2009-3177 was initially limited by the lack of detailed information about the vulnerability's nature and exploitation methods. However, the fact that the vulnerability was documented in the VulnDisco Pack Professional, which is maintained by a reputable security researcher, indicated that there was sufficient evidence of the issue's existence and exploitability to warrant CVE assignment for tracking purposes. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework would likely involve techniques related to privilege escalation or defense evasion, as the exploitation would potentially allow attackers to bypass security controls or gain elevated system privileges. Organizations were advised to immediately update to newer versions of the Kaspersky Online Scanner software where possible, though the vulnerability's unspecified nature made it difficult to provide specific mitigation guidance. The incident highlighted the importance of thorough vulnerability analysis and the need for security vendors to provide complete disclosure of security flaws in their products to enable proper remediation and protection measures.