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Secure EndpointApplication · Cisco

CVE-2023-20032

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-03-01
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.20.2 / 1.21.1 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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 Feb 15, 2023, the following vulnerability in the ClamAV scanning library was disclosed: A vulnerability in the HFS+ partition file parser of ClamAV versions 1.0.0 and earlier, 0.105.1 and earlier, and 0.103.7 and earlier could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code. This vulnerability is due to a missing buffer size check that may result in a heap buffer overflow write. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by submitting a crafted HFS+ partition file to be scanned by ClamAV on an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the ClamAV scanning process, or else crash the process, resulting in a denial of service (DoS) condition. For a description of this vulnerability, see the ClamAV blog ["https://blog.clamav.net/"].

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

Heap buffer overflow vulnerability in ClamAV's HFS+ partition file parser due to missing bounds checking. An attacker can exploit this by submitting a specially crafted HFS+ partition file for scanning, potentially achieving arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the ClamAV scanning process.

MitigationUpgrade ClamAV to version 1.0.1, 0.105.2, or 0.103.8 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling or restricting the scanning of HFS+ partition files as a temporary mitigation.

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:< 1.20.2< 1.21.1< 7.5.9>= 8.0.1.21160, < 8.1.5
Secure Endpoint Private CloudApplication
Affected:< 3.6.0
Web Security ApplianceApplication
Affected:< 12.5.6>= 14.0.0, < 14.0.4-005>= 14.5.0, < 14.5.1-013>= 15.0.0, < 15.0.0-254
ClamavApplication
Affected:<= 0.103.7>= 0.104.0, <= 0.105.1= 1.0.0
Stormshield Network SecurityApplication
Affected:>= 3.0.0, < 3.7.35>= 3.8.0, < 3.11.23>= 4.3.0, < 4.3.17>= 4.4.0, < 4.6.4

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify the installed ClamAV-based product
    Run 'clamd -V' or check the installed package name (clamav, cisco-amp, stormshield, etc.) to determine which product provides the ClamAV engine
    Affected if The product is ClamAV, Cisco Secure Endpoint, Cisco Web Security Appliance, or Stormshield Network Security and the version falls within the affected ranges
  2. Determine the installed version of ClamAV
    Run 'clamscan --version' or 'clamd -V' to obtain the exact version number
    Affected if The version is 0.103.7 or earlier; 0.104.0 through 0.105.1; or exactly 1.0.0
  3. Determine the installed version for Cisco Secure Endpoint
    Check the installed package version using the system's package manager or the Cisco AMP connector version information
    Affected if The version is less than 1.20.2, less than 1.21.1, less than 7.5.9, or between 8.0.1.21160 (inclusive) and 8.1.5 (exclusive)
  4. Determine the installed version for Cisco Web Security Appliance
    Check the WSA firmware version through the admin web interface or CLI command 'version'
    Affected if The version is less than 12.5.6, between 14.0.0 and 14.0.4-005 (exclusive), between 14.5.0 and 14.5.1-013 (exclusive), or between 15.0.0 and 15.0.0-254 (exclusive)
  5. Verify if HFS+ partition scanning is enabled
    Check clamd.conf or clamscan options for 'scan-archive' and related settings; HFS+ parsing occurs when scanning disk images or HFS+ formatted files
    Affected if ClamAV scanning is enabled and HFS+ partition files can be submitted for scanning (the default scanning behavior exposes this vulnerability)

Your environment is affected if you are running any ClamAV-based product (including Cisco or Stormshield variants) with a version matching the affected ranges and the scanner is configured to process HFS+ partition files, which is the default behavior.

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 1.20.2 / 1.21.1 / 3.6.0 or later
Fixed in 1.20.21.21.13.6.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade ClamAV to version 1.0.1, 0.105.2, or 0.103.8 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling or restricting the scanning of HFS+ partition files as a temporary mitigation.

Recommended fix High confidence

ClamAV: 0.103.8+ | 0.105.2+ | 1.0.1+ | Cisco Secure Endpoint 1.20.2+/1.21.1+/7.5.9+/8.1.5+ | Cisco WSA 12.5.6+/14.0.4-005+/14.5.1-013+/15.0.0-254+ | Stormshield 3.7.35+/3.11.23+/4.3.17+/4.6.4+

  1. 1. Identify the specific ClamAV version currently installed by running 'clamd --version' or checking the package manager
  2. 2. For ClamAV <= 0.103.7: Upgrade to version 0.103.8 or later
  3. 3. For ClamAV >= 0.104.0 and <= 0.105.1: Upgrade to version 0.105.2 or later
  4. 4. For ClamAV = 1.0.0: Upgrade to version 1.0.1 or later
  5. 5. For Cisco Secure Endpoint: Apply the appropriate version patch per the Cisco advisory (versions 1.20.2, 1.21.1, 7.5.9, or 8.1.5 and later)
  6. 6. For Cisco Web Security Appliance: Apply version 12.5.6, 14.0.4-005, 14.5.1-013, 15.0.0-254 or later per the advisory
  7. 7. For Stormshield Network Security: Apply version 3.7.35, 3.11.23, 4.3.17, or 4.6.4 or later
  8. 8. After upgrading, verify the new version is running with 'clamd --version'
Caveat Upgrading ClamAV may require restarting the clamd service; ensure proper service restart procedures are followed to avoid interruption of scanning services

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
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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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-2023-20032 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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