Clam AntivirusApplication · Cisco
CVE-2020-3341
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 · uneditedA vulnerability in the PDF archive parsing module in Clam AntiVirus (ClamAV) Software versions 0.101 - 0.102.2 could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service condition on an affected device. The vulnerability is due to a stack buffer overflow read. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a crafted PDF file to an affected device. An exploit could allow the attacker to cause the ClamAV scanning process crash, resulting in a denial of service condition.
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 confidenceStack buffer overflow read vulnerability in ClamAV's PDF archive parsing module (versions 0.101-0.102.2). An attacker can send a crafted PDF file to cause the ClamAV scanning process to crash, resulting in denial of service.
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
Clam AntivirusApplication
>= 0.101, <= 0.102.2
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
= 12.04= 14.04= 16.04= 18.04= 19.10= 20.04
FedoraOperating system
= 30= 31= 32
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 8.0CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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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Determine installed ClamAV versionRun `clamd --version` or `clamav-milter --version` to see the exact version numberAffected if Version is 0.101, 0.102, 0.102.1, or 0.102.2 (any version from 0.101 through 0.102.2)
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Verify PDF parsing module is activeCheck ClamAV configuration files (typically /etc/clamd.conf or /etc/clamav/clamd.conf) for the `StreamByteLimit` directive or examine loaded scanning modules using `clamdscan --debug`Affected if PDF parsing module is loaded and the scanner is configured to process PDF archives
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Confirm PDF files are being scannedReview system logs (often /var/log/clamav/clamd.log) or check scheduled scan configurations to see if PDF files are among the file types processedAffected if The system or gateway is configured to scan PDF files as part of its antivirus operations
You are affected if your ClamAV version is between 0.101 and 0.102.2 inclusive AND your installation has PDF scanning enabled (the vulnerable code path is only triggered when processing PDF files).
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 dataUpdate ClamAV to version 0.102.3 or later. As an interim measure, implement file-type filtering at network boundaries to reject or quarantine PDF files until the patch can be applied.
Fix this in Clam Antivirus
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,904.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-3341 — 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-2020-3341 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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