CVE-2018-15729 in AntiMalware
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in STOPzilla AntiMalware 6.5.2.59. The driver file szkg64.sys contains a Denial of Service vulnerability due to not validating the output buffer address value from IOCtl 0x8000204B.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/07/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-15729 represents a critical denial of service flaw within STOPzilla AntiMalware version 6.5.2.59, specifically within its kernel-mode driver component szkg64.sys. This issue stems from insufficient input validation mechanisms within the driver's implementation of IOCTL 0x8000204B, which is a control code used for communication between user-mode applications and kernel-mode drivers in windows operating systems. The vulnerability manifests when the driver fails to properly validate the output buffer address provided by user-mode applications, creating an opportunity for malicious actors to manipulate memory access patterns and potentially disrupt system operations.
The technical nature of this flaw places it squarely within the domain of kernel-mode security vulnerabilities, where improper validation of user-supplied parameters can lead to system instability and potential privilege escalation pathways. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-125: "Out-of-Bounds Read" and CWE-787: "Out-of-Bounds Write" as the driver's failure to validate buffer addresses creates opportunities for memory corruption. The specific IOCTL code 0x8000204B suggests this is part of a custom driver interface implemented by STOPzilla, making the attack surface more complex as it involves proprietary driver behavior rather than standard windows driver interfaces.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as it can potentially allow attackers to crash the system or cause the driver to behave unpredictably, thereby compromising the security posture of systems running the affected anti-malware software. When an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can cause the szkg64.sys driver to crash or become unresponsive, effectively disabling the anti-malware protection provided by STOPzilla. This creates a window of opportunity for malware to execute without detection, as the system's primary defense mechanism becomes unavailable. The vulnerability's exploitation typically requires local system access or a specially crafted application that can interact with the vulnerable driver, making it a medium to high severity threat depending on the execution environment.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-15729 should prioritize immediate software updates from STOPzilla, as the vendor has likely released patches addressing the buffer validation issue. System administrators should implement monitoring for abnormal driver behavior or system crashes that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of driver code review and security testing, particularly for kernel-mode components that handle user input. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability could be categorized under T1059.001: "Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell" or T1068: "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation" depending on how it's leveraged in an attack chain. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent execution of potentially malicious code that might attempt to exploit such driver vulnerabilities, while maintaining regular security assessments of anti-malware solutions to ensure they don't introduce new attack vectors. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of validating all user-supplied data in kernel-mode code and implementing robust buffer overflow protection mechanisms.