CVE-2018-6202 in eScan
Summary
by MITRE
In eScan Antivirus 14.0.1400.2029, the driver file (econceal.sys) allows local users to cause a denial of service (BSOD) or possibly have unspecified other impact because of not validating input values from IOCtl 0x830020F8.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/27/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-6202 affects eScan Antivirus version 14.0.1400.2029 and specifically targets the econceal.sys driver component. This represents a critical security flaw that arises from inadequate input validation within the driver's handling of IOCTL (Input/Output Control) requests. The vulnerability manifests through IOCTL code 0x830020F8 which is processed by the malicious driver, creating an exploitable condition that can be leveraged by local attackers to compromise system stability and potentially execute arbitrary code.
The technical flaw stems from the driver's failure to properly validate input parameters received through the specified IOCTL interface. According to CWE-20 standards, this vulnerability represents a weakness in input validation where the system does not adequately check or sanitize data received from external sources. The econceal.sys driver processes user-supplied data without proper bounds checking or parameter validation, creating a path for malformed input to cause unexpected behavior. This type of vulnerability falls under the category of improper input validation as defined by CWE-20, where the system fails to properly validate input data before processing it.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables local users to trigger a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) condition, effectively causing a system crash and denial of service. The potential for unspecified other impacts suggests that beyond simple system instability, attackers may be able to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges within the system. The local privilege requirement means that exploitation requires an attacker to already have user-level access to the system, but the potential for privilege escalation makes this a particularly concerning vulnerability. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which covers 'Exploitation for Privilege Escalation' and T1493 which addresses 'Data Destruction' through system instability.
The vulnerability exploitation process typically involves crafting a specific IOCTL request with malicious parameters to the econceal.sys driver. When the driver processes this request without proper validation, it can lead to memory corruption, invalid pointer dereferences, or other memory management issues that result in system crashes. The BSOD occurs when the kernel encounters an unrecoverable error during driver execution, indicating that the input validation failure has caused a critical system component to fail. The unspecified other impacts suggest that the vulnerability may also enable code execution or privilege escalation, though the exact nature of these additional effects requires further analysis.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-6202 should prioritize immediate patching of the eScan Antivirus software to the latest version that addresses this vulnerability. System administrators should implement the principle of least privilege by limiting user access to system resources and monitoring for unusual IOCTL activity. The driver should be configured to run with minimal required privileges and proper access controls should be enforced. Additionally, security monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect and alert on suspicious IOCTL requests or system crashes that may indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent unauthorized driver loading and maintain regular security assessments to identify similar input validation vulnerabilities in other system components. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation in kernel-mode drivers as outlined in the CERT/CC secure coding guidelines and should serve as a reminder of the potential consequences of inadequate security controls in system-level software components.