CVE-2024-48293 in Antivirus Pro
Summary
by MITRE • 11/18/2024
Incorrect access control in QuickHeal Antivirus Pro 24.1.0.182 and earlier allows authenticated attackers with low-level privileges to arbitrarily modify antivirus settings.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/20/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-48293 represents a critical access control flaw within QuickHeal Antivirus Pro version 24.1.0.182 and earlier installations. This issue manifests as an insufficient authorization mechanism that permits authenticated users with minimal privileges to manipulate core antivirus configuration parameters. The flaw exists within the application's permission model where proper access controls are not enforced during sensitive setting modifications, creating a pathway for privilege escalation and unauthorized system configuration changes.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and permission checking mechanisms within the antivirus software's administrative interface. The flaw allows attackers who have already established a user account within the system to bypass normal access restrictions and modify critical security settings such as real-time protection parameters, scan schedules, and exclusion lists. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and demonstrates poor implementation of role-based access controls. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-285 which specifically addresses insufficient authorization issues, making it a direct descendant of well-known access control weaknesses in software systems.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple configuration changes and can severely compromise the overall security posture of systems running affected QuickHeal versions. An authenticated attacker could disable critical security features, modify detection thresholds to avoid detection of malicious files, or redirect scan results to malicious endpoints. This capability enables attackers to create persistent backdoors, evade security monitoring, and potentially establish long-term system compromise. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where antivirus settings are centrally managed and where a single compromised user account could lead to widespread system weakening.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-48293 should prioritize immediate software updates to the latest available versions of QuickHeal Antivirus Pro where the access control flaw has been patched. Organizations should implement network segmentation and monitoring to detect unauthorized configuration changes, while also conducting comprehensive audits of antivirus settings to identify any potential modifications that may have occurred. Security teams should enforce strict access control policies and consider implementing additional layers of authentication for critical system settings. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1548.001 which covers privilege escalation through abuse of administrative tools, and organizations should consider this when developing their incident response protocols. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar access control weaknesses in other enterprise security tools and ensure comprehensive protection against such privilege escalation attacks.