CVE-2012-1425 in McAfee
Summary
by MITRE
The TAR file parser in Avira AntiVir 7.11.1.163, Antiy Labs AVL SDK 2.0.3.7, Quick Heal (aka Cat QuickHeal) 11.00, Emsisoft Anti-Malware 5.1.0.1, Fortinet Antivirus 4.2.254.0, Ikarus Virus Utilities T3 Command Line Scanner 1.1.97.0, Jiangmin Antivirus 13.0.900, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0.0.125, McAfee Anti-Virus Scanning Engine 5.400.0.1158, McAfee Gateway (formerly Webwasher) 2010.1C, NOD32 Antivirus 5795, Norman Antivirus 6.06.12, PC Tools AntiVirus 7.0.3.5, AVEngine 20101.3.0.103 in Symantec Endpoint Protection 11, Trend Micro AntiVirus 9.120.0.1004, and Trend Micro HouseCall 9.120.0.1004 allows remote attackers to bypass malware detection via a POSIX TAR file with an initial \50\4B\03\04 character sequence. NOTE: this may later be SPLIT into multiple CVEs if additional information is published showing that the error occurred independently in different TAR parser implementations.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/26/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2012-1425 represents a critical flaw in multiple antivirus products' handling of TAR file parsing operations, specifically affecting implementations that process POSIX TAR archives containing a particular character sequence. This issue manifests in the form of a false positive detection bypass mechanism where malicious payloads can evade security scanning by exploiting a specific sequence of bytes in the TAR file header. The affected software ecosystem spans numerous major antivirus vendors including Avira, Kaspersky, McAfee, Trend Micro, and Symantec, indicating a widespread implementation weakness that impacts enterprise security solutions. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it allows attackers to craft malicious TAR files that appear benign to security systems while actually containing harmful content, effectively undermining the core purpose of antivirus detection mechanisms.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper handling of TAR file headers within various antivirus scanning engines. Specifically, when parsing TAR archives, these security products encounter a particular byte sequence beginning with \50\4B which is typically associated with zip file headers rather than TAR files. This sequence triggers a parsing error or misinterpretation within the antivirus engines, causing them to either skip the file entirely or treat it as a non-malicious archive. The flaw demonstrates a lack of proper file format validation and signature recognition, where the parsers fail to distinguish between different archive formats correctly. This misclassification allows potentially malicious content to slip through security controls undetected, as the system assumes the file is either not an archive or is a legitimate one that doesn't require further inspection. The issue is classified under CWE-20, which addresses improper input validation, and represents a classic example of how insufficient validation of file formats can create security bypass opportunities.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-1425 extends far beyond individual system compromises, affecting enterprise security postures across multiple organizations simultaneously. When exploited, this vulnerability enables attackers to deliver malware through seemingly harmless TAR archives that bypass endpoint protection mechanisms, potentially leading to widespread infections across networks. Security administrators face the challenge of maintaining trust in their antivirus solutions while dealing with false negatives that could allow persistent threats to establish footholds in protected environments. The vulnerability's presence in multiple vendors' products suggests that organizations using these security solutions may have been simultaneously exposed to attack vectors, creating cascading security risks. From an operational perspective, this flaw necessitates immediate attention from security teams who must either apply patches, implement workarounds, or deploy additional detection measures to compensate for the gap in protection. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of comprehensive testing of security products against various file format combinations, as the flaw specifically exploits a scenario where one file type's header is incorrectly interpreted as another.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate action from affected organizations, beginning with patch management processes to update all impacted antivirus solutions to versions that properly handle TAR file parsing. Security teams should implement additional file validation measures that specifically check for anomalous character sequences in archive headers before allowing files to proceed through security scanning. Network segmentation and additional monitoring of archive file transfers can help detect potential exploitation attempts, while implementing multiple layers of detection can compensate for the bypass capability. Organizations should also consider deploying supplementary security controls such as sandboxing or behavioral analysis systems that can identify malicious activity regardless of file format detection bypasses. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as attackers may use the bypass to execute malicious code through compromised archive files. Regular security assessments should include testing for similar format confusion vulnerabilities, and vendors should enhance their input validation routines to properly distinguish between different archive formats. The vulnerability underscores the necessity of maintaining robust file format validation within security products and demonstrates how seemingly minor parsing errors can create significant security risks across multiple platforms.