CVE-2016-8030 in VirusScan Enterprise
Summary
by MITRE
A memory corruption vulnerability in Scriptscan COM Object in McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.8 Patch 8 and earlier allows remote attackers to create a Denial of Service on the active Internet Explorer tab via a crafted HTML link.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/25/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-8030 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within the Scriptscan COM object component of McAfee VirusScan Enterprise version 8.8 Patch 8 and earlier releases. This issue specifically affects the interaction between the antivirus software's scripting engine and Microsoft Internet Explorer, creating a pathway for remote attackers to exploit the system through maliciously crafted HTML content. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within the COM object implementation, which fails to properly handle malformed or specially constructed script elements that could trigger buffer overflows or other memory corruption conditions.
The technical execution of this vulnerability occurs when Internet Explorer processes a malicious HTML link that contains specially crafted script elements designed to interact with the vulnerable Scriptscan COM object. When the browser attempts to execute these scripts, the COM object fails to properly validate the input parameters, leading to memory corruption that can cause the active Internet Explorer tab to crash or freeze. This behavior manifests as a denial of service condition that prevents users from accessing legitimate web content within the affected browser session. The vulnerability specifically targets the way the COM object handles script execution contexts and memory allocation patterns, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users frequently browse untrusted websites or receive email attachments containing malicious links.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security risks for enterprise environments that rely on McAfee VirusScan Enterprise for endpoint protection. The denial of service condition can disrupt business operations when users encounter malicious links in emails, web browsing sessions, or instant messaging applications. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to create persistent disruptions or potentially use it as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks by first establishing a foothold through service disruption. The vulnerability affects the availability aspect of the CIA triad, specifically targeting the availability of the browser application and potentially the broader endpoint computing environment. Organizations using affected versions of McAfee VirusScan Enterprise face the risk of unauthorized service disruption, user productivity loss, and potential escalation to more serious compromise scenarios.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-8030 primarily involve updating to patched versions of McAfee VirusScan Enterprise that address the memory corruption issues within the Scriptscan COM object. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of the vendor-provided security patches and updates that correct the input validation flaws and memory management errors. System administrators should also consider implementing additional protective measures such as browser hardening configurations, disabling unnecessary COM object functionality, and employing network-based protections to filter malicious HTML content before it reaches vulnerable endpoints. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and may also relate to ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers legitimate user execution through web-based attacks. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all affected systems and implement comprehensive remediation procedures to ensure complete protection against this and related memory corruption vulnerabilities.