CVE-2002-2282
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedMcAfee VirusScan 4.5.1, when the WebScanX.exe module is enabled, searches for particular DLLs from the user's home directory, even when browsing the local hard drive, which allows local users to run arbitrary code via malicious versions of those DLLs.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceMcAfee VirusScan 4.5.1 with WebScanX.exe enabled suffers from a DLL planting vulnerability where the module loads DLLs from the user's home directory when scanning, even for local hard drive browsing. Local attackers can place malicious DLLs in their home directory that get loaded with elevated privileges by the antivirus component, achieving arbitrary code execution.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 4.5.1CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify VirusScan versionCheck the installed McAfee VirusScan version by inspecting the program files directory or the Add/Remove Programs list. Look for version 4.5.1 specifically.Affected if The installed version is exactly 4.5.1
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Locate WebScanX.exe componentSearch for WebScanX.exe in the VirusScan program directory (typically C:\Program Files\McAfee\VirusScan or similar paths). Check if the file exists.Affected if WebScanX.exe is present on the system
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Confirm WebScanX module is enabledOpen the VirusScan console or settings and verify that the WebScanX component is enabled and active. This can also be checked by attempting to run the executable or viewing running processes.Affected if WebScanX.exe is enabled or running on the system
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Verify DLL loading behavior (if possible)Monitor or inspect the DLL search path used by WebScanX.exe during scanning operations. On affected versions, the application loads DLLs from the user's home directory or current working directory.Affected if WebScanX.exe loads DLLs from user-writable directories such as the home directory during scans
A system is affected if McAfee VirusScan version 4.5.1 is installed with the WebScanX.exe component enabled, as this configuration allows the application to load arbitrary DLLs from user-writable directories with elevated privileges.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataDisable the WebScanX.exe module in McAfee VirusScan 4.5.1 or upgrade to a version that properly secures DLL loading paths to prevent loading from user-writable directories.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2002-2282 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2002-2282 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data