CVE-2020-7277 in Endpoint Security
Summary
by MITRE
Protection mechanism failure in all processes in McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS) for Windows prior to 10.7.0 April 2020 Update allows local users to stop certain McAfee ENS processes, reducing the protection offered.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/27/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-7277 represents a critical protection mechanism failure within McAfee Endpoint Security for Windows products. This flaw affects all processes within the ENS framework and specifically impacts versions prior to the April 2020 update. The vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls and process management mechanisms that fail to properly enforce security boundaries, creating a scenario where local users can manipulate core security processes. The weakness exists at the system-level process control mechanisms where proper privilege separation and process isolation are not adequately maintained.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows attackers with local system access to terminate specific McAfee ENS processes through unauthorized means. This occurs due to inadequate privilege checking and process termination controls within the security software itself. The flaw enables adversaries to disrupt the normal operation of endpoint protection services, effectively creating a downgrade in security posture. The vulnerability manifests when local users can bypass expected security controls to stop critical protection processes, potentially leaving systems more exposed to malicious activities. This issue directly relates to CWE-284, which addresses improper access control mechanisms, and CWE-362, covering concurrent execution use of a resource.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-7277 is significant as it reduces the overall security effectiveness of systems running affected McAfee ENS versions. When targeted processes are stopped, the endpoint protection capabilities are diminished, creating potential attack vectors for adversaries who may exploit the reduced protection. The vulnerability creates a persistent risk where local users can repeatedly disable security services, undermining the fundamental purpose of endpoint protection software. Organizations may experience increased exposure to malware, unauthorized access attempts, and other security threats due to the compromised protection mechanisms. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise environments where McAfee ENS is deployed as a primary security solution, as it directly undermines the security infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily focus on immediate remediation through the installation of the April 2020 update for McAfee Endpoint Security for Windows. Organizations should prioritize patch management processes to ensure all affected systems receive the necessary security updates. System administrators should implement additional monitoring to detect unauthorized process termination activities and establish baseline behaviors for security services. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining proper privilege separation and access controls within security software itself, as highlighted by ATT&CK technique T1562.001 for process injection and T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter usage. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and privilege escalation controls can help limit the impact of local user access to security processes. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify similar protection mechanism failures in other security solutions within the enterprise environment.