CVE-2022-28882 in WithSecure
Summary
by MITRE • 08/23/2022
A Denial-of-Service (DoS) vulnerability was discovered in F-Secure & WithSecure products whereby the aegen.dll will go into an infinite loop when unpacking PE files. This eventually leads to scanning engine crash. The exploit can be triggered remotely by an attacker.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/25/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-28882 represents a critical denial-of-service weakness affecting F-Secure and WithSecure security products. This flaw manifests within the aegen.dll component which is responsible for processing and unpacking portable executable files during security scanning operations. The issue occurs when the system attempts to analyze maliciously crafted PE files that contain specific malformed structures designed to trigger the problematic code path. This vulnerability falls under the category of CWE-835, which specifically addresses infinite loops or iterations that can lead to system resource exhaustion and operational failure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the aegen.dll module entering an infinite loop during the unpacking phase of PE file analysis. When the scanner encounters a specially crafted PE file with malformed headers or section structures, the unpacking routine becomes trapped in a continuous iteration without proper termination conditions. This condition causes the scanning engine to consume excessive CPU resources and eventually leads to a complete system crash or unresponsiveness. The infinite loop behavior directly impacts the product's ability to perform its core security functions, effectively rendering the protection layer ineffective against legitimate security operations.
The remote exploitability of this vulnerability presents significant operational risks for organizations relying on F-Secure and WithSecure solutions. Attackers can remotely trigger this condition by delivering malicious PE files through various attack vectors including email attachments, web downloads, or network-based delivery mechanisms. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple service disruption as it can potentially be leveraged to create persistent denial-of-service conditions that prevent legitimate security scanning operations from functioning properly. This creates a dangerous situation where the security infrastructure becomes compromised and unable to protect against actual threats during the period when the DoS condition is active.
Organizations utilizing affected F-Secure and WithSecure products should immediately implement mitigations to address this vulnerability. The primary recommended approach involves applying the vendor-provided security patches and updates that contain fixes for the infinite loop condition in aegen.dll. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing additional layers of protection including content filtering solutions, sandboxing mechanisms, and network segmentation to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and loop termination conditions in security software, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which covers network disruption through resource exhaustion attacks. Organizations should also conduct thorough testing of updated software versions to ensure that the fix properly resolves the infinite loop condition while maintaining the integrity of legitimate scanning operations.