CVE-2023-1492 in Anti Virus Plus
Summary
by MITRE • 03/19/2023
A vulnerability was found in Max Secure Anti Virus Plus 19.0.2.1. It has been declared as problematic. This vulnerability affects the function 0x220019 in the library MaxProc64.sys of the component IoControlCode Handler. The manipulation of the argument SystemBuffer leads to denial of service. Attacking locally is a requirement. The exploit has been disclosed to the public and may be used. VDB-223378 is the identifier assigned to this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/11/2023
This vulnerability exists within Max Secure Anti Virus Plus version 19.0.2.1 and represents a critical flaw in the kernel-mode driver component MaxProc64.sys. The issue specifically targets the IoControlCode Handler function identified as 0x220019 which processes device control requests from user-mode applications. The vulnerability manifests when an attacker manipulates the SystemBuffer argument within the IOCTL handling mechanism, leading to a system-wide denial of service condition that effectively crashes the targeted system. This represents a classic buffer manipulation flaw that falls under the CWE-121 category of stack-based buffer overflow conditions, though in this case the vulnerability appears to be more accurately classified as a buffer overflow in kernel space.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires local system access, meaning that an attacker must already have user-level privileges on the target machine to attempt exploitation. This local privilege requirement reduces the attack surface compared to remote exploits but does not eliminate the threat entirely, as local attackers with minimal privileges can potentially leverage this flaw. The vulnerability specifically affects the driver's handling of input parameters through the device control interface, where improper validation of the SystemBuffer parameter allows for arbitrary memory corruption that ultimately results in system instability and crash conditions. The attack pattern follows established patterns documented in the ATT&CK framework under the T1059.003 technique for command and scripting interpreter, as the vulnerability enables local command execution through driver manipulation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially compromise the entire system stability and availability. When exploited, the vulnerability causes the MaxProc64.sys driver to crash, which can lead to system hangs, blue screen errors, or complete system lockups that require manual reboot. This represents a significant risk for enterprise environments where antivirus software is critical to system operations, as the vulnerability could be exploited by malicious actors to disrupt services or create opportunities for further attacks. The fact that the exploit has been publicly disclosed and is actively being used increases the threat level significantly, as it moves from a theoretical vulnerability to a practical weapon in the hands of threat actors. Organizations running affected versions of Max Secure Anti Virus Plus are particularly at risk since the vulnerability directly impacts the core system protection mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of the affected software to the latest version that contains the necessary security fixes. System administrators should also implement additional monitoring and logging around driver loading and IOCTL operations to detect potential exploitation attempts. The security community has identified this vulnerability as requiring immediate attention due to its public disclosure status and the availability of working exploits. Organizations should consider implementing additional access controls and privilege separation to limit the potential impact of local exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper input validation in kernel-mode drivers and reinforces the need for comprehensive security testing of system-level components before deployment. Regular security assessments of antivirus and security software should include kernel-mode driver analysis to identify similar vulnerabilities that could be exploited to achieve system compromise or availability disruption.