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Secure EndpointApplication · Cisco

CVE-2023-20197

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-08-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.22.0 / 3.8.0 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
A vulnerability in the filesystem image parser for Hierarchical File System Plus (HFS+) of ClamAV could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. This vulnerability is due to an incorrect check for completion when a file is decompressed, which may result in a loop condition that could cause the affected software to stop responding. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by submitting a crafted HFS+ filesystem image to be scanned by ClamAV on an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the ClamAV scanning process to stop responding, resulting in a DoS condition on the affected software and consuming available system resources. 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 · high confidence

A denial of service vulnerability exists in ClamAV's Hierarchical File System Plus (HFS+) filesystem image parser. The vulnerability stems from an incorrect check for completion during file decompression, which can cause an infinite loop condition. An unauthenticated attacker can trigger this by submitting a crafted HFS+ filesystem image to be scanned, causing the ClamAV scanning process to hang and consume system resources.

MitigationUpdate ClamAV to the latest version incorporating the fix for this vulnerability. As an interim measure, avoid scanning untrusted HFS+ filesystem images or disable HFS+ scanning in ClamAV configurations.

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:< 1.22.0< 7.5.13.21586>= 8.0.1.21160, < 8.1.7.21585
Secure Endpoint Private CloudApplication
Affected:< 3.8.0
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 38

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. Identify ClamAV installation
    Run 'clamd --version' or check your package manager for clamav
    Affected if ClamAV is installed and no version is returned or version cannot be determined
  2. Check Cisco Secure Endpoint version
    On Windows: check 'About' in the Secure Endpoint GUI or check the installed program version. On Mac: use 'System Information' or check /Applications/AmnestyMonitor.app
    Affected if Version is < 1.22.0, or between 7.5.0 and 7.5.13.21585, or >= 8.0.1.21160 but < 8.1.7.21585 on Windows/Mac agents
  3. Check Cisco Secure Endpoint Private Cloud version
    Check the Private Cloud appliance version through the admin console or API
    Affected if Version is less than 3.8.0
  4. Check Fedora system version
    Run 'cat /etc/fedora-release' to confirm Fedora 38
    Affected if System is Fedora 38 with ClamAV installed from official repositories
  5. Verify HFS+ scanning capability
    Check ClamAV configuration files (clamd.conf, freshclam.conf) for 'hfsplus' signatures or HFS+ related scan options
    Affected if HFS+ scanning is enabled and ClamAV has HFS+ signature databases loaded

You are affected if you are running Cisco Secure Endpoint (Windows/Mac) below version 1.22.0, version 7.5.x below 7.5.13.21586, or versions 8.0.1.21160 through 8.1.7.21585; Cisco Secure Endpoint Private Cloud below 3.8.0; or Fedora 38 with ClamAV, AND you scan HFS+ filesystem images.

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 1.22.0 / 3.8.0 / 7.5.13.21586 or later
Fixed in 1.22.03.8.07.5.13.21586
Interim mitigation

Update ClamAV to the latest version incorporating the fix for this vulnerability. As an interim measure, avoid scanning untrusted HFS+ filesystem images or disable HFS+ scanning in ClamAV configurations.

Recommended fix High confidence

Secure Endpoint: 1.22.0+ or 7.5.13.21586+ or 8.1.7.21585+ | Secure Endpoint Private Cloud: 3.8.0+ | Fedora: latest clamav update for Fedora 38

  1. For Cisco Secure Endpoint (AMP for Endpoints): Upgrade to version 1.22.0 or later, or version 7.5.13.21586 or later, or version 8.1.7.21585 or later depending on your current major version branch
  2. For Cisco Secure Endpoint Private Cloud: Upgrade to version 3.8.0 or later
  3. For Fedora 38 systems: Update the clamav package to the version fixed for CVE-2023-20197 (refer to Fedora security advisories for the exact fixed version)
  4. After upgrading, verify the ClamAV engine version matches the fixed release
  5. Test that HFS+ filesystem scanning completes successfully without hanging

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

Fix this in Secure Endpoint Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
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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-2023-20197 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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