VirexApplication · Mcafee

CVE-2006-0982

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2006-03-03
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
The on-access scanner for McAfee Virex 7.7 for Macintosh, in some circumstances, might not activate when malicious content is accessed from the web browser, and might not prevent the content from being saved, which allows remote attackers to bypass virus protection, as demonstrated using the EICAR test file.

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 confidence

McAfee Virex 7.7 for Macintosh on-access scanner fails to activate when malicious content is accessed through a web browser, and fails to block the content from being saved to disk, effectively bypassing the virus protection entirely. The vulnerability was demonstrated using the standard EICAR test file, showing the scanner did not intercept the malicious payload during web download scenarios.

MitigationUsers should ensure their antivirus definitions are up to date and consider upgrading to a supported McAfee product version. Organizations should verify that on-access scanning is properly enabled and functioning for web download scenarios.

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
VirexApplication
Affected:= 7.7

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify McAfee Virex version
    Check the installed version of McAfee Virex on the Macintosh system using the application's 'About' menu or system utility that displays installed software versions
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 7.7 (the affected version)
  2. Confirm on-access scanning status
    Locate the on-access scanner settings within the McAfee Virex preferences or system tray icon, and verify whether on-access scanning is enabled
    Affected if On-access scanning is disabled or not properly configured for web download scenarios
  3. Inspect web browser scanning configuration
    Examine the Virex settings to determine if web browser download scanning is specifically enabled - this may appear as a web shield, browser integration, or download protection setting
    Affected if Web browser download scanning is not enabled or is bypassed
  4. Test with EICAR file via browser
    Attempt to download a standard EICAR test file through a web browser while Virex is running, and observe whether the download is blocked or the file is quarantined upon completion
    Affected if The file downloads completely without interception and is not detected when accessed on disk

A user is affected if McAfee Virex 7.7 is installed with on-access scanning enabled but web download interception is not functioning, as demonstrated by an EICAR test file passing through undetected.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Users should ensure their antivirus definitions are up to date and consider upgrading to a supported McAfee product version. Organizations should verify that on-access scanning is properly enabled and functioning for web download scenarios.

Fix this in Virex Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2006-0982 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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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