CVE-2005-3657
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 · uneditedThe ActiveX control in MCINSCTL.DLL for McAfee VirusScan Security Center does not use the IObjectSafetySiteLock API to restrict access to required domains, which allows remote attackers to create or append to arbitrary files via the StartLog and AddLog methods in the MCINSTALL.McLog object.
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 confidenceAn ActiveX control (MCINSCTL.DLL) in McAfee VirusScan Security Center fails to implement the IObjectSafetySiteLock API, which normally restricts scriptable ActiveX controls to trusted domains. This allows remote attackers to call the StartLog and AddLog methods of the MCINSTALL.McLog object to create or append content to arbitrary files on the victim's file system.
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= 4.0.0.83all versions= 4.0= 4.0.3= 4.5= 4.5.1= 5.0= 6.0= 7.0= 7.1= 8.0= 9.0CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
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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Locate the MCINSCTL.DLL file on the systemSearch for MCINSCTL.DLL in the McAfee installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\McAfee\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\McAfee\) and system directories using file explorer or command: dir /s C:\MCINSCTL.DLLAffected if The file exists on the system, indicating the ActiveX control is present
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Verify the DLL versionRight-click the MCINSCTL.DLL file, select Properties, then view the Version tab to read the File Version; or use: powershell (Get-Item 'C:\Path\To\MCINSCTL.DLL').VersionInfo.FileVersionAffected if Version equals 4.0.0.83 or falls within the affected VirusScan Security Center version range (4.0 through 9.0)
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Confirm the ActiveX control is registeredOpen Windows Registry Editor and search for MCINSCTL.DLL under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ or run: reg query HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MCINSTALL.McLogAffected if The COM object MCINSTALL.McLog is registered in the Windows registry
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Check if the ActiveX is marked safe in IEIn Internet Explorer, go to Internet Options > Security > Custom Level > ActiveX controls and scripts, or check registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Ext\PreApproved\{CLSID for MCINSTALL.McLog}Affected if The control is marked as PreApproved in the registry or IE security settings allow unsigned ActiveX controls to run
The system is affected if MCINSCTL.DLL is present with version 4.0.0.83 or if VirusScan Security Center versions 4.0-9.0 are installed and the ActiveX control is registered and enabled in Internet Explorer.
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 vulnerable MCINSCTL.DLL ActiveX control in Internet Explorer security settings, or upgrade to a McAfee product version that addresses this vulnerability. Network-level restrictions blocking untrusted sources from reaching the ActiveX may also provide defense-in-depth.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2005-3657 — 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-2005-3657 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
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