dbcve.org
Secure EndpointApplication · Cisco

CVE-2022-20785

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-05-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 0.103.5 / 0.104.2 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
On April 20, 2022, the following vulnerability in the ClamAV scanning library versions 0.103.5 and earlier and 0.104.2 and earlier was disclosed: A vulnerability in HTML file parser of Clam AntiVirus (ClamAV) versions 0.104.0 through 0.104.2 and LTS version 0.103.5 and prior versions could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service condition on an affected device. For a description of this vulnerability, see the ClamAV blog. This advisory will be updated as additional information becomes available.

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

A denial of service vulnerability exists in the HTML file parser of ClamAV versions 0.104.0-0.104.2 and LTS 0.103.5 and prior. An unauthenticated remote attacker can cause affected devices to become unavailable by submitting a specially crafted HTML file to be scanned.

MitigationUpgrade ClamAV to the patched version (consult ClamAV advisory for specific fixed release). In the meantime, disable HTML scanning or implement rate limiting on file submission to reduce exposure.

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
Secure EndpointApplication
Affected:< 1.16.3< 1.17.2< 7.5.5>= 1.18.0, < 1.18.2
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 34= 35= 36
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 9.0
ClamavApplication
Affected:< 0.103.5<= 0.103.5>= 0.104.0, < 0.104.2

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
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 checks

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

  1. Verify ClamAV installation
    Run 'clamd --version' or 'clamscan --version' to confirm ClamAV is installed and retrieve the version number
    Affected if ClamAV is not installed or the command fails
  2. Check installed ClamAV version
    Compare the output version to the affected ranges: 0.103.5 and below, or 0.104.0 through 0.104.1. Look for versions like 0.104.0, 0.104.1, 0.103.4, 0.103.3, etc.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 0.103.5 or lower, OR between 0.104.0 and 0.104.1 inclusive
  3. Confirm HTML scanning is enabled
    Check clamd.conf for 'ScanHTML=1' or clamscan/clamd configuration for HTML parsing options. Also check if 'clamd' or 'clamscan' is used with HTML-related scan flags
    Affected if HTML scanning is enabled (ScanHTML=1 or equivalent) and the version is affected
  4. Identify HTML file submission vector
    Inspect system configuration to determine if remote or unauthenticated HTML file submission to ClamAV scanning is possible (e.g., mail gateway, file upload mechanism, or API accepting files)
    Affected if Unauthenticated remote users can submit HTML files for scanning

You are affected if ClamAV version is 0.103.5 or lower, or between 0.104.0 and 0.104.1, AND HTML scanning is enabled, AND your system accepts HTML file submissions from unauthenticated users.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 0.103.5 / 0.104.2 / 1.16.3 or later
Fixed in 0.103.50.104.21.16.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade ClamAV to the patched version (consult ClamAV advisory for specific fixed release). In the meantime, disable HTML scanning or implement rate limiting on file submission to reduce exposure.

Recommended fix High confidence

ClamAV 0.104.3+ (or 0.105.x) / ClamAV 0.103.6+ for LTS branch

  1. 1. Identify the current installed ClamAV version using: clamd --version or freshclam --version
  2. 2. For ClamAV 0.104.x branch: Upgrade to version 0.104.3 or later (e.g., 0.105.0 if available)
  3. 3. For ClamAV 0.103.x LTS branch: Upgrade to version 0.103.6 or later
  4. 4. Update package repositories and reinstall ClamAV packages using your system package manager (apt, dnf, yum)
  5. 5. Restart ClamAV services (clamd, freshclam) to load the patched version
  6. 6. Verify the installed version matches the fixed release using: clamd --version
Caveat Minor - this is a bugfix/security update; ensureclamd.conf settings are compatible with new version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Secure Endpoint Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2022-20785 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2022-20785 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data