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Secure EndpointApplication · Cisco

CVE-2022-20796

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-05-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.16.3 / 1.17.2 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 May 4, 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 Clam AntiVirus (ClamAV) versions 0.103.4, 0.103.5, 0.104.1, and 0.104.2 could allow an authenticated, local attacker to cause a denial of service condition on an affected device. For a description of this vulnerability, see the ClamAV blog.

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 confidence

A denial of service vulnerability in ClamAV scanning library versions 0.103.4, 0.103.5, 0.104.1, and 0.104.2 allows an authenticated, local attacker to cause the affected device to become unavailable. The vulnerability exists within the scanning functionality of the Clam AntiVirus library.

MitigationUpgrade ClamAV to version 0.103.6 or later, or 0.104.3 or later, as these versions contain the fix for this vulnerability. Since the attack requires local authenticated access, ensure proper access controls and monitoring are in place.

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:= 0.103.4= 0.103.5= 0.104.1= 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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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. Check installed ClamAV version
    Run 'clamd --version' or 'clamscan --version' to determine the installed ClamAV version
    Affected if Version is 0.103.4, 0.103.5, 0.104.1, or 0.104.2
  2. Check ClamAV package version on Linux
    On Fedora, run 'rpm -q clamav'. On Debian, run 'dpkg -l clamav'. On Fedora 34/35/36, also check the specific version shipped with the distribution
    Affected if Package version matches the affected ClamAV versions listed or the OS version is Fedora 34/35/36 with bundled vulnerable ClamAV
  3. Check Cisco Secure Endpoint version
    For Cisco Secure Endpoint, check the installed version through the product interface or system inventory. Versions below 1.16.3, below 1.17.2, below 7.5.5, or >= 1.18.0 but below 1.18.2 are affected
    Affected if Installed version falls within any of the affected Cisco Secure Endpoint version ranges
  4. Verify ClamAV scanning service is accessible
    Check if the clamd service is running ('systemctl status clamd' or 'ps aux | grep clamd'). The vulnerability is in the scanning library, so an active scanning service provides the attack surface
    Affected if ClamAV scanning daemon is running and the version is vulnerable
  5. Check for local authenticated access
    Review system logs and access controls to determine if local user accounts exist. The vulnerability requires an authenticated local attacker
    Affected if Local user accounts exist on the system running the vulnerable ClamAV version

A system is affected if it runs ClamAV versions 0.103.4, 0.103.5, 0.104.1, or 0.104.2 (or Cisco Secure Endpoint/Fedora/Debian versions that bundle these), has the ClamAV scanning service active, and allows local authenticated access.

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 1.16.3 / 1.17.2 / 1.18.2 or later
Fixed in 1.16.31.17.21.18.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade ClamAV to version 0.103.6 or later, or 0.104.3 or later, as these versions contain the fix for this vulnerability. Since the attack requires local authenticated access, ensure proper access controls and monitoring are in place.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

ClamAV 0.103.6+ or 0.104.3+ (or the latest stable 0.105.x/0.106.x if available)

  1. Upgrade ClamAV from version 0.103.4 or 0.103.5 to version 0.103.6 or later
  2. Upgrade ClamAV from version 0.104.1 or 0.104.2 to version 0.104.3 or later
  3. For Fedora systems, update the system package cache and upgrade clamav: dnf update clamav
  4. For Debian systems, update and upgrade: apt update && apt install clamav
  5. Restart the clamd service after upgrade: systemctl restart clamav-daemon (or appropriate service)
  6. Verify the installed version matches a fixed release: clamdscan --version or freshclam --version
Caveat Ensure configuration files are compatible with the new version; some deprecated options may need updating

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

Fix this in Secure Endpoint Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2022-20796 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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