Secure EndpointApplication · Cisco
CVE-2024-20290
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 OLE2 file format parser 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 end-of-string values during scanning, which may result in a heap buffer over-read. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by submitting a crafted file containing OLE2 content to be scanned by ClamAV on an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause the ClamAV scanning process to terminate, 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 confidenceHeap buffer over-read vulnerability in ClamAV's OLE2 file format parser due to incorrect end-of-string value checking. An attacker can trigger the flaw by submitting a crafted OLE2 file for scanning, causing the ClamAV scanning process to terminate and 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
Secure EndpointApplication
< 7.5.17>= 8.0.1.21160, < 8.2.3.30119
Secure Endpoint Private CloudApplication
< 3.8.0
FedoraOperating system
= 38= 39CVSS 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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Identify installed ClamAV versionRun 'clamscan --version' or 'clamd --version' to retrieve the ClamAV engine version. On Fedora, also run 'rpm -q clamav' to get the package version.Affected if The installed version falls outside the fixed releases: for Cisco Secure Endpoint versions below 7.5.17, or between 8.0.1.21160 and 8.2.3.30119 (exclusive); for Cisco Secure Endpoint Private Cloud below 3.8.0; for Fedora 38 or 39 any version.
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Confirm OLE2 file scanning is activeVerify that ClamAV is configured to scan OLE2 files. Check clamd.conf or freshclam.conf for settings related to OLE2 or Microsoft Office file scanning. Ensure the scanning daemon (clamd) is running and has not been configured to exclude OLE2 file types.Affected if OLE2 file scanning is enabled and the ClamAV engine is actively parsing OLE2 documents submitted for detection.
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Verify ClamAV receives OLE2 files for scanningReview the scanning environment to confirm that OLE2 files (such as .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx attachments or documents) are being submitted to ClamAV for malware scanning. This includes email gateways, file upload mechanisms, or endpoint protection scans.Affected if OLE2 files are being processed by the ClamAV scanner in the environment.
You are affected if your installed ClamAV version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND OLE2 file scanning is enabled and actively processing OLE2 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.
dbcve · scoped3.8.07.5.178.2.3.30119
Update ClamAV to the vendor-provided patched version that addresses this vulnerability. Until patched, consider disabling OLE2 file scanning or implementing file-type filtering at perimeter points to reject untrusted OLE2 attachments.
Secure Endpoint: 7.5.17 or 8.2.3.30119+ | Private Cloud: 3.8.0+ | Fedora: upgrade to Fedora 40+
- For Cisco Secure Endpoint (Windows/Mac/Linux agents): Upgrade to version 7.5.17 or later, or version 8.2.3.30119 or later
- For Cisco Secure Endpoint Private Cloud: Upgrade to version 3.8.0 or later
- For Fedora systems: Update ClamAV packages to versions available in Fedora 40 or later, as Fedora 38 and 39 are end-of-life
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
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-20290 — 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-2024-20290 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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