CVE-2017-6417
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 · uneditedCode injection vulnerability in Avira Total Security Suite 15.0 (and earlier), Optimization Suite 15.0 (and earlier), Internet Security Suite 15.0 (and earlier), and Free Security Suite 15.0 (and earlier) allows a local attacker to bypass a self-protection mechanism, inject arbitrary code, and take full control of any Avira process via a "DoubleAgent" attack. One perspective on this issue is that (1) these products do not use the Protected Processes feature, and therefore an attacker can enter an arbitrary Application Verifier Provider DLL under Image File Execution Options in the registry; (2) the self-protection mechanism is intended to block all local processes (regardless of privileges) from modifying Image File Execution Options for these products; and (3) this mechanism can be bypassed by an attacker who temporarily renames Image File Execution Options during the attack.
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 confidenceThis is a local code injection vulnerability where Avira security products fail to use Windows Protected Processes feature, allowing an attacker to inject arbitrary code via Image File Execution Options registry keys by temporarily renaming the protected registry key during the attack. The self-protection mechanism designed to block registry modifications can be bypassed through this rename technique, enabling full control of any Avira process.
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<= 15.0<= 15.0<= 15.0<= 15.0CVSS 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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Identify installed Avira productsOpen Programs and Features (appwiz.cpl) or check for Avira installation directories (typically C:\Program Files\Avira\) and review product names displayedAffected if Any Avira security product (Free Security Suite, Internet Security Suite, Optimization Suite, or Total Security Suite) is installed on the system
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Check Avira product versionRight-click the installed Avira product in Programs and Features and select Properties, or look for version information in the product's About/Help section, then compare against the affected range (version 15.0 and below)Affected if The installed Avira product version is 15.0 or lower (any version <= 15.0)
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Verify Windows Protected Processes statusThis vulnerability exists because Avira does not implement Windows Protected Processes. There is no direct registry or config check to confirm protection status - the vulnerability assumes protection is absent in affected versions. If Avira is running, the product is likely unprotected in version 15.0 and belowAffected if The Avira product is running on the system with version 15.0 or below, indicating the unprotected state applies
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Inspect Image File Execution Options for suspicious entriesOpen Registry Editor (regedit.exe), navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\, and examine each subkey for unusual debugger values (the 'Debugger' value) that may indicate code injection attemptsAffected if Unexpected or unknown entries exist under IFEO with a 'Debugger' value pointing to unfamiliar executables, particularly targeting Avira process names (e.g., avira.exe, avguard.exe, sched.exe)
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Monitor for recent registry key rename operationsReview Windows Event Logs under Security and System channels for event IDs related to registry permission changes or key renames, or use Sysinternals Process Monitor to capture registry operations targeting HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution OptionsAffected if Evidence shows registry keys under IFEO were recently modified or renamed, suggesting active exploitation of the bypass technique
A system is affected if it runs any Avira product version 15.0 or lower (Free Security Suite, Internet Security Suite, Optimization Suite, or Total Security Suite), as these versions lack Windows Protected Processes protection and are vulnerable to code injection via Image File Execution Options registry manipulation.
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 vendor patches when released. Until then, restrict administrative privileges and monitor for suspicious registry modifications to Image File Execution Options. The fundamental fix requires Avira to implement Windows Protected Processes.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation40.0 h
- Testing24.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-6417 — 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-2017-6417 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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