CVE-2014-9642 in BullGuard
Summary
by MITRE
bdagent.sys in BullGuard Antivirus, Internet Security, Premium Protection, and Online Backup before 15.0.288 allows local users to write data to arbitrary memory locations, and consequently gain privileges, via a crafted 0x0022405c IOCTL call.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/28/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-9642 affects the bdagent.sys kernel driver component of BullGuard antivirus software across multiple product lines including Antivirus, Internet Security, Premium Protection, and Online Backup versions prior to 15.0.288. This represents a critical privilege escalation flaw that allows local attackers to manipulate kernel memory directly through a specifically crafted ioctl command. The vulnerability resides within the device driver's handling of the 0x0022405c ioctl control code, which is designed to process user-mode requests and communicate with the kernel-mode driver. When this particular ioctl is invoked with malicious parameters, the driver fails to properly validate input data, creating an opportunity for arbitrary memory writes that can be exploited to elevate privileges from user-level to kernel-level execution.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic buffer overflow or memory corruption issue within the kernel driver's ioctl handling mechanism. The bdagent.sys driver processes the 0x0022405c ioctl call without adequate bounds checking or input validation, allowing an attacker to supply data that can overwrite arbitrary memory locations within the kernel space. This flaw falls under the CWE-121 category of stack-based buffer overflow, though the specific implementation likely involves heap-based memory corruption given the nature of driver-level operations. The vulnerability enables local privilege escalation because the kernel driver operates with elevated privileges and lacks proper memory protection mechanisms to prevent unauthorized writes to kernel memory regions. Attackers can leverage this to execute arbitrary code with system-level privileges, effectively compromising the entire system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for any system running affected BullGuard versions, as it provides a straightforward path for local attackers to achieve privilege escalation without requiring remote exploitation or complex attack chains. The vulnerability affects all local users of the affected software, making it particularly dangerous in multi-user environments or when the software is installed on systems with administrative accounts. Successful exploitation could result in complete system compromise, allowing attackers to install malware, modify system files, disable security features, or establish persistent backdoors. The vulnerability also poses significant risk to enterprise environments where BullGuard may be deployed across multiple endpoints, potentially enabling attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive corporate data and infrastructure. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation techniques, specifically targeting the 'Exploitation for Privilege Escalation' tactic and 'Windows Privilege Escalation' technique.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-9642 focus primarily on updating to BullGuard version 15.0.288 or later, which contains patches addressing the kernel driver's improper ioctl handling. Organizations should also implement additional security controls such as disabling unnecessary kernel drivers, restricting local user privileges where possible, and monitoring for suspicious ioctl activity in system logs. The vulnerability highlights the importance of kernel-mode driver security and proper input validation, as outlined in the OWASP Top 10 for kernel-level vulnerabilities. System administrators should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of affected BullGuard software and ensure timely patch deployment. Additionally, implementing application whitelisting and monitoring for abnormal driver behavior can provide additional layers of defense against exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical security implications of kernel-mode driver flaws and the necessity for comprehensive security testing of all system components that operate with elevated privileges.