CVE-2017-0290 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE
The Microsoft Malware Protection Engine running on Microsoft Forefront and Microsoft Defender on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 10 Gold, 1511, 1607, and 1703, and Windows Server 2016 does not properly scan a specially crafted file leading to memory corruption, aka "Microsoft Malware Protection Engine Remote Code Execution Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/22/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-0290 represents a critical remote code execution flaw within Microsoft's Malware Protection Engine component that affects multiple versions of Windows operating systems. This vulnerability resides in the core antivirus scanning functionality that Microsoft Defender and Forefront products utilize for threat detection. The flaw specifically manifests when the engine processes specially crafted files that trigger memory corruption during the scanning process, potentially allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems with the privileges of the antivirus service account.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and memory management within the malware scanning engine. When processing maliciously formatted files, the engine fails to properly handle memory allocation and deallocation, leading to buffer overflows or heap corruption conditions. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-121 category of "Stack-based Buffer Overflow" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for "Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell" when attackers leverage such vulnerabilities to execute malicious payloads. The flaw demonstrates poor defensive programming practices where the engine does not adequately validate file structures or enforce proper memory boundaries during file analysis operations.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-0290 is severe and far-reaching across enterprise environments that rely on Microsoft's antivirus solutions. Attackers could potentially exploit this vulnerability through various attack vectors including email attachments, web downloads, or file sharing mechanisms without requiring user interaction. The vulnerability affects systems running Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 10 Gold, 1511, 1607, and 1703, and Windows Server 2016, representing a broad attack surface across multiple Windows versions. Successful exploitation could result in complete system compromise, allowing attackers to establish persistent backdoors, escalate privileges, or deploy additional malware payloads.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Microsoft security updates, implementing network segmentation to limit exposure, and monitoring for suspicious scanning activities. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure coding practices and proper input validation in security software components. System administrators should also consider disabling real-time scanning temporarily during critical operations while applying patches, though this approach introduces additional risk. The incident underscores the need for comprehensive security testing of antivirus engines and demonstrates how defensive tools themselves can become attack vectors when not properly secured against malformed input processing. Mitigation strategies should include regular security assessments, network monitoring for anomalous scanning behavior, and maintaining up-to-date threat intelligence to detect exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability.