CVE-2015-1461 in Fedora
Summary
by MITRE
ClamAV before 0.98.6 allows remote attackers to have unspecified impact via a crafted (1) Yoda s crypter or (2) mew packer file, related to a "heap out of bounds condition."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/12/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-1461 affects ClamAV versions prior to 0.98.6 and represents a critical heap out of bounds condition that can be exploited by remote attackers through specifically crafted malware files. This vulnerability manifests when ClamAV processes files created with either Yoda s crypter or mew packer tools, which are known packer utilities commonly used by malware authors to obfuscate their malicious code. The heap out of bounds condition occurs during the file analysis process when ClamAV attempts to parse these specially crafted files, leading to memory corruption that can potentially be leveraged for arbitrary code execution or system compromise.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient input validation and memory management within ClamAV's file parsing routines. When processing files created with these packers, the software fails to properly bounds-check memory allocations, allowing an attacker to craft input data that exceeds allocated memory boundaries. This heap corruption can result in various security impacts including denial of service conditions, information disclosure, or more severely, remote code execution depending on the specific memory layout and exploitation circumstances. The vulnerability specifically relates to CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a classic example of improper handling of untrusted input data in security software.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations relying on ClamAV for malware detection and prevention. Attackers can leverage this weakness to bypass security controls by crafting malicious files that appear legitimate to the antivirus system but contain payloads designed to exploit the heap corruption. This creates a dangerous scenario where the security tool itself becomes a vector for compromise rather than a protective measure. The vulnerability affects both network-based and file-based scanning operations, making it particularly dangerous in environments where automatic file scanning is enabled. Organizations using ClamAV for email filtering, file server scanning, or endpoint protection are all at risk from this vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of ClamAV to version 0.98.6 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the heap out of bounds condition. Organizations should also implement additional layers of defense including network segmentation, file reputation analysis, and monitoring for unusual scanning behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of vulnerability under T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) and T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) when exploited, as attackers would likely use the vulnerability to execute malicious code on target systems. Security teams should also consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for traffic patterns associated with known packer tools and suspicious file processing activities. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should include checks for outdated ClamAV installations to prevent exploitation of this and similar memory corruption vulnerabilities.