CVE-2009-0042
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 · uneditedMultiple unspecified vulnerabilities in the Arclib library (arclib.dll) before 7.3.0.15 in the CA Anti-Virus engine for CA Anti-Virus for the Enterprise 7.1, r8, and r8.1; Anti-Virus 2007 v8 and 2008; Internet Security Suite 2007 v3 and 2008; and other CA products allow remote attackers to bypass virus detection via a malformed archive 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 · moderate confidenceThe Arclib library (arclib.dll) used in CA Anti-Virus engines contains multiple parsing vulnerabilities that allow malformed archive files (such as ZIP, RAR, or other compressed formats) to bypass virus detection. Attackers can craft specially malformed archive files that evade the antivirus scanning engine, potentially delivering malicious payloads undetected.
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= 2007= 2008= 8.1= r8= 2007= 2008= 7.1= 8.1= r8all versions= 7.1all versions= 11= 11.1CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:N/AC:L/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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Identify installed CA/Broadcom security productsCheck the system for installed CA or Broadcom security software by reviewing installed programs in Control Panel, checking Program Files folder for CA/Broadcom directories, or using system inventory toolsAffected if Any of the following products are installed: Broadcom Anti Spyware (2007/2008), Broadcom Anti Virus (2007/2008), Broadcom Anti Virus For The Enterprise (7.1/8.1/r8), Broadcom Antivirus Gateway 7.1, Broadcom Arcserve Client Agent, or Broadcom Common Services (11/11.1)
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Locate the arclib.dll librarySearch for arclib.dll in the CA/Broadcom product installation directories, commonly found in the product's bin or lib subfolders. Use file search or check the specific product's installation pathAffected if The arclib.dll file exists in a CA/Broadcom security product directory
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Determine arclib.dll versionRight-click the arclib.dll file, select Properties, and view the Version tab to obtain the file version. Alternatively, use command-line tools like 'dir' or PowerShell to query version infoAffected if The arclib.dll version is earlier than 7.3.0.15 (versions prior to 7.3.0.15 are vulnerable)
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Verify archive scanning is enabledOpen the CA/Broadcom antivirus configuration interface and check the archive scanning settings. Look for options related to scanning compressed files (ZIP, RAR, etc.)Affected if Archive file scanning is enabled - the vulnerability allows malformed archives to bypass detection when this feature is active
A system is affected if it has any of the listed CA/Broadcom products installed with an arclib.dll version earlier than 7.3.0.15 and archive scanning enabled.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpdate the Arclib library to version 7.3.0.15 or later in all affected CA products. If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling archive file scanning as a temporary workaround or implementing additional file validation at email gateways and perimeter points.
arclib.dll version 7.3.0.15 or later
- Identify all CA products in the environment that use the arclib library (Anti-Virus, Anti-Virus for the Enterprise, Anti Spyware, Antivirus Gateway, Arcserve Client Agent, Common Services, Antivirus SDK)
- Obtain the updated arclib.dll version 7.3.0.15 or later from CA
- Apply the updated arclib.dll to all affected installations according to CA's update process
- Verify the version has been applied correctly by checking the arclib.dll file version
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2009-0042 — 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-2009-0042 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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