CVE-2018-10098 in eScan Internet Security Suite
Summary
by MITRE
In MicroWorld eScan Internet Security Suite (ISS) for Business 14.0.1400.2029, the driver econceal.sys allows a non-privileged user to send a 0x830020E0 IOCTL request to \\.\econceal to cause a denial of service (BSOD).
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/04/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-10098 resides within MicroWorld eScan Internet Security Suite Business version 14.0.1400.2029, specifically targeting the econceal.sys kernel driver component. This security flaw represents a critical weakness in the privilege escalation and input validation mechanisms of the security suite, which is designed to protect enterprise networks from various cyber threats. The vulnerability manifests through improper handling of IOCTL (Input/Output Control) requests within the kernel-mode driver, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by unprivileged users to disrupt system operations.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a specific IOCTL code 0x830020E0 which is processed by the econceal.sys driver when accessed via the named pipe \.\econceal. This particular IOCTL request lacks adequate validation and sanitization of input parameters, allowing a malicious user with standard user privileges to craft and send malformed requests that trigger unexpected behavior within the kernel space. The driver's failure to properly validate the request parameters results in a kernel-level crash, ultimately leading to a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) condition that completely halts system functionality and renders the affected machine unusable until manual reboot occurs.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it creates a potential vector for persistent system compromise within enterprise environments. Organizations utilizing this security suite face significant risk of unauthorized denial of service attacks that can affect critical business operations and productivity. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-121 (Buffer Overflow) and CWE-122 (Buffer Overflow in Non-Static Memory) reflects the underlying memory management flaws that enable the exploitation. From an adversary perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 (Local Privilege Escalation) and T1499 (Endpoint Denial of Service) as it provides a pathway for attackers to cause system instability and potentially gain further access to compromised systems.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the affected eScan suite version to the latest available release from MicroWorld, as the vendor has likely addressed the IOCTL validation issues in subsequent releases. System administrators should also implement monitoring for suspicious IOCTL activity on the econceal.sys driver, particularly focusing on the specific 0x830020E0 request pattern. Network segmentation and privilege separation measures can help limit the potential impact of exploitation attempts, while regular security assessments should verify that no unauthorized modifications have occurred to the driver components. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing kernel-mode driver whitelisting policies to restrict execution of potentially vulnerable drivers and establish incident response procedures to address potential BSOD events that may result from this vulnerability.