CVE-2012-1461 in Trend Micro
Summary
by MITRE
The Gzip file parser in AVG Anti-Virus 10.0.0.1190, Bitdefender 7.2, Command Antivirus 5.2.11.5, Emsisoft Anti-Malware 5.1.0.1, F-Secure Anti-Virus 9.0.16160.0, Fortinet Antivirus 4.2.254.0, Ikarus Virus Utilities T3 Command Line Scanner 1.1.97.0, Jiangmin Antivirus 13.0.900, K7 AntiVirus 9.77.3565, 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, Rising Antivirus 22.83.00.03, Sophos Anti-Virus 4.61.0, AVEngine 20101.3.0.103 in Symantec Endpoint Protection 11, Trend Micro AntiVirus 9.120.0.1004, Trend Micro HouseCall 9.120.0.1004, and VBA32 3.12.14.2 allows remote attackers to bypass malware detection via a .tar.gz file with multiple compressed streams. NOTE: this may later be SPLIT into multiple CVEs if additional information is published showing that the error occurred independently in different Gzip parser implementations.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/04/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2012-1461 represents a critical flaw in multiple antivirus solutions' handling of gzip compressed files, specifically targeting the Gzip file parser implementations within various security products. This issue affects a wide range of antivirus vendors including AVG, Bitdefender, McAfee, Symantec, Trend Micro, and others, creating a widespread security concern across the antivirus industry. The vulnerability stems from improper parsing of .tar.gz file formats that contain multiple compressed streams, which allows malicious actors to craft specially formatted archives designed to evade detection mechanisms. The flaw specifically impacts how these security applications process compressed data structures, creating a bypass opportunity for malware authors who can exploit the inconsistent handling of compressed file formats across different antivirus platforms.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the implementation of Gzip decompression logic within each affected antivirus product, where the parsers fail to properly validate or handle multiple compressed streams within a single archive. When a .tar.gz file contains multiple compressed streams, the vulnerable parsers do not correctly process the entire archive structure, leading to incomplete or incorrect decompression of the contained files. This improper handling creates a scenario where malware can be hidden within compressed streams that are not properly analyzed, allowing malicious code to bypass the antivirus scanning process entirely. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the antivirus engine encounters a tar.gz file with multiple compressed streams, where the decompression routine fails to properly traverse all compressed data segments, leaving portions of the archive unscanned or improperly analyzed.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant risk for organizations relying on these antivirus solutions, as it allows attackers to deliver malware payloads that would otherwise be detected by standard scanning procedures. The impact extends beyond individual system compromises to potentially affect entire enterprise environments, particularly in scenarios where multiple antivirus products are deployed across an organization. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by creating malicious .tar.gz files that contain embedded malware within compressed streams that bypass detection mechanisms. The vulnerability's widespread nature across multiple vendors means that organizations cannot rely on the assumption that different antivirus solutions will provide equivalent protection against the same threat vector, creating a complex security landscape where traditional defensive measures may be insufficient.
The implications of this vulnerability align with several cybersecurity frameworks and threat modeling approaches, including CWE-129 which addresses improper handling of compressed data, and ATT&CK techniques related to evasion and execution through compressed files. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including updating all affected antivirus solutions to versions that properly handle multiple compressed streams, implementing additional file validation measures beyond traditional antivirus scanning, and establishing network-level controls to monitor and block suspicious compressed file transfers. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper input validation and the need for comprehensive testing of compression handling routines within security software, particularly in enterprise environments where multiple security products may be deployed simultaneously. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify systems running affected versions and ensure that all antivirus solutions are updated to prevent exploitation of this bypass mechanism.