CVE-2012-1434 in Virus Utilities T3 Command Line Scanner
Summary
by MITRE
The Microsoft EXE file parser in AhnLab V3 Internet Security 2011.01.18.00, Emsisoft Anti-Malware 5.1.0.1, Ikarus Virus Utilities T3 Command Line Scanner 1.1.97.0, and Panda Antivirus 10.0.2.7 allows remote attackers to bypass malware detection via an EXE file with a \19\04\00\10 character sequence at a certain location. NOTE: this may later be SPLIT into multiple CVEs if additional information is published showing that the error occurred independently in different EXE parser implementations.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/04/2017
The vulnerability described in CVE-2012-1434 represents a critical flaw in multiple antivirus software solutions that affects how they parse executable files. This issue specifically targets the EXE file parser implementations within several security products including AhnLab V3 Internet Security, Emsisoft Anti-Malware, Ikarus Virus Utilities, and Panda Antivirus. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of specific character sequences within executable file structures, creating a detection bypass mechanism that allows malicious code to evade security scrutiny.
The technical flaw manifests through a specific character sequence \19\10 that when positioned at a particular location within an EXE file, causes the affected antivirus parsers to incorrectly process the file structure. This misinterpretation occurs during the file parsing phase where the security software fails to properly validate or recognize the legitimate file format, instead treating the malicious sequence as benign or irrelevant data. The vulnerability operates at the file format parsing level, which aligns with CWE-129 Input Validation and CWE-125 Out-of-bounds Read categories, as the parsers do not properly validate input data before processing.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant risk for organizations relying on these specific antivirus implementations. Attackers can craft malicious EXE files that exploit this parsing weakness to bypass security controls, potentially leading to successful malware deployment and system compromise. The impact extends beyond individual user systems to enterprise environments where these security products are widely deployed, creating a potential vector for widespread malware distribution. The vulnerability's classification as a detection bypass aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter, as it enables attackers to execute malicious code without proper detection.
The affected products represent a range of antivirus solutions that share similar parsing methodologies, indicating a systemic issue within their file handling implementations. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and robust file format parsing in security software, as even well-intentioned security tools can become ineffective when their underlying parsers contain flaws. The potential for this vulnerability to be split into multiple CVEs reflects the complexity of analyzing how different implementations of similar parsing logic can independently contain similar weaknesses, highlighting the need for comprehensive security testing across all components of security software stacks.
Organizations should immediately update their antivirus solutions to versions that address this parsing flaw, while implementing additional network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider deploying supplementary detection mechanisms such as behavioral analysis and file reputation services to provide defense in depth against exploitation of this type of vulnerability. The incident underscores the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security software and the potential risks associated with relying on single points of detection in cybersecurity defenses.