Advanced Malware Protection For EndpointsApplication · Cisco
CVE-2017-12312
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 · uneditedAn untrusted search path (aka DLL Preloading) vulnerability in the Cisco Immunet antimalware installer could allow an authenticated, local attacker to execute arbitrary code via DLL hijacking if a local user with administrative privileges executes the installer in the current working directory where a crafted DLL has been placed by an attacker. The vulnerability is due to incomplete input validation of path and file names of a DLL file before it is loaded. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by creating a malicious DLL file and installing it in a specific system directory. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute commands on the underlying Microsoft Windows host with privileges equivalent to the SYSTEM account. An attacker would need valid user credentials to exploit this vulnerability. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvf23928.
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 confidenceThe Cisco Immunet antimalware installer is vulnerable to DLL Preloading (DLL hijacking) due to incomplete input validation of DLL file paths. An authenticated local attacker with administrative privileges can place a malicious DLL in a specific system directory where the installer executes, causing the installer to load and execute the attacker's code with SYSTEM-level privileges.
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
Advanced Malware Protection For EndpointsApplication
= 3.1.0CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- High
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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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Check installed version of Cisco Immunet/AMPOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'wmic product get name,version' to list installed software versions. Look for Cisco Immunet or Cisco Advanced Malware Protection for Endpoints.Affected if The installed version is exactly 3.1.0 (the only affected version per provided advisory)
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Locate the Cisco Immunet installer executableSearch for 'ImmunetProtect.exe' or 'Setup.exe' in typical installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Cisco\ or C:\Program Files\Immunet\Affected if The installer executable exists and is present on the system (the vulnerable component)
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Inspect installation directory for untrusted DLLsList all .dll files in the Cisco Immunet installation directory and any temporary directories where installers may run. Check for DLLs from untrusted sources or unexpected DLL names.Affected if Untrusted or suspicious DLL files exist in directories where the installer executes (enables DLL hijacking)
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Verify directory write permissionsRight-click the installation directory, go to Security tab, and check which users have Write or Modify permissions. Also check temp directories like %TEMP% and the directory from which the installer is run.Affected if Non-admin users or untrusted accounts have Write permission to installer directories (allows placing malicious DLL)
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Check for recent installer execution from non-standard directoriesReview Windows Event Viewer logs under Windows Logs > Application for installer execution events, or check prefetch files for recent installer activity.Affected if The installer was recently run from a directory writable by untrusted users
You are affected if Cisco Advanced Malware Protection for Endpoints version 3.1.0 is installed and untrusted DLLs or writeable directories exist in installer search paths.
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 dataApply the vendor patch (CSCvf23928) to the Cisco Immunet installer. Until patched, avoid running the installer from directories where untrusted parties could place files, and ensure only trusted DLLs exist in installer search paths.
Fix this in Advanced Malware Protection For Endpoints
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation16.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,960.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-12312 — 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-2017-12312 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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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.
- 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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