CVE-2019-3670 in Web Advisor
Summary
by MITRE
Remote Code Execution vulnerability in the web interface in McAfee Web Advisor (WA) 8.0.34745 and earlier allows remote unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code via a cross site scripting attack.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-3670 represents a critical remote code execution flaw within McAfee Web Advisor version 8.0.34745 and earlier installations. This security weakness resides in the web interface component of the McAfee Web Advisor application, which serves as a browser extension and web-based security monitoring tool. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding mechanisms that fail to properly sanitize user-supplied data before processing or rendering within the web interface context.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through cross site scripting attacks where an attacker can inject malicious scripts into the web interface. The flaw specifically manifests when the application fails to adequately escape or filter user-controllable input parameters that are subsequently rendered in web pages without proper sanitization. This allows an unauthenticated remote attacker to craft malicious payloads that, when executed within a victim's browser context, can trigger arbitrary code execution on the target system. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires no authentication credentials and can be exploited from any remote location, making it highly accessible to threat actors.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution, as it provides attackers with a persistent foothold within the victim environment. Once successfully exploited, adversaries can leverage the compromised Web Advisor component to perform various malicious activities including but not limited to data exfiltration, privilege escalation, or further network reconnaissance. The vulnerability affects the core functionality of the web interface, potentially compromising the integrity of the entire McAfee Web Advisor security stack. Organizations relying on this security solution face significant risk as the compromised component could be used to bypass other security controls or to establish backdoors for continued access.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to CWE-79 Cross Site Scripting and CWE-94 Code Injection, both of which are categorized under the OWASP Top Ten as critical application security risks. The attack surface aligns with ATT&CK techniques such as T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1071.004 Application Layer Protocol Web Protocols, demonstrating how web-based vulnerabilities can be leveraged for command execution and protocol manipulation. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including patching to the latest available version of McAfee Web Advisor, implementing web application firewalls to detect and block malicious script injection attempts, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of all web-based security tools. Network segmentation and monitoring of web interface traffic can also help detect exploitation attempts, while user education regarding suspicious web interactions remains crucial for defense in depth strategies. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of proper input validation and output encoding practices in web applications, particularly in security tools that process user data and interact with browser environments.