Security Bulletin: Protected resource access bypass vulnerability resolved in multiple products for Microsoft Windows (CVE-2016-3984)
Security Bulletins ID:
SB10151
Last Modified: 5/4/2022
Last Modified: 5/4/2022
Summary
First Published: 02/25/2016
| Impact of Vulnerability: | Application Protections Bypass (CWE-592) |
| CVE Numbers: | CVE-2016-3984 |
| Severity Rating: | Low |
| Base / Overall CVSS v3 Scores: | 3.1 / 2.9 |
| Base / Overall CVSS v2 Scores: | 3.0 / 2.6 |
| Recommendations: | Install or update to the patch in the Remediation table |
| Security Bulletin Replacement: | Related to SB10158: same discoverer, similar patch sequence, different vulnerability |
| Affected Software: | Category 1: VirusScan Enterprise 8.8 (VSE) Category 2: McAfee Agent 5.x (MA) Data Exchange Layer (DXL) Host Intrusion Prevention Service (Host IPS) 8.0 Data Loss Prevention Endpoint (DLPE) McAfee Device Control (MDC) Endpoint Security (ENS) 10.0 McAfee Active Response (MAR) |
| Location of Updated Software: | Product Downloads site |
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Article contents:
Description
Multiple products include a self-protection mechanism to determine which McAfee applications and associated actions, such as access to registry keys and files, can be trusted. The mechanism allows exclusions to prevent dead locks and infinite loops when multiple scanners are involved.
Trusted applications can access settings and files protected by self-protection rules. For example, McAfee applications must be trusted before they are allowed to be uninstalled, preventing malicious attackers from uninstalling McAfee software without permission. After an attacker achieves local Windows administrative privileges, the self-protection mechanism can also be manipulated to control trust settings without possession of the management password.
The affected self-protection mechanism design is outdated and was being replaced. The replacement design was in development for several years and has now been included in the affected products.
When VSE is present on the device, processes that attempt to use this mechanism are scanned upon access. If the processes are not detected as malware, they could gain access to resources protected by McAfee products.
This update also addresses another issue that was very specific to the VSE product where closing the registry handles for the VSE process mcconsole.exe using Process Explorer (or similar tools) could be exploited to unlock the password protected VirusScan Console window. See SB10158 for additional details.
See the discoverer’s blog report at: https://packetstormsecurity.com/files/136089.
Products are grouped in two categories:
The patches and hotfixes in the Remediation table remediate this issue for the following products:
The McAfee VirusScan Console (mcconsol.exe) in McAfee Active Response (MAR) before 1.1.0.161, Agent (MA) 5.x before 5.0.2 Hotfix 1110392 (5.0.2.333), Data Exchange Layer 2.x (DXL) before 2.0.1.140.1, Data Loss Prevention Endpoint (DLPe) 9.3 before Patch 6 and 9.4 before Patch 1 HF3, Device Control (MDC) 9.3 before Patch 6 and 9.4 before Patch 1 HF3, Endpoint Security (ENS) 10.x before 10.1, Host Intrusion Prevention Service (IPS) 8.0 before 8.0.0.3624, and VirusScan Enterprise (VSE) 8.8 before P7 (8.8.0.1528) on Windows allows local administrators to bypass intended self-protection rules and disable the antivirus engine by modifying registry keys.
http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2016-3984
CWE-592
Application Protections Bypass
http://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/592.html
Trusted applications can access settings and files protected by self-protection rules. For example, McAfee applications must be trusted before they are allowed to be uninstalled, preventing malicious attackers from uninstalling McAfee software without permission. After an attacker achieves local Windows administrative privileges, the self-protection mechanism can also be manipulated to control trust settings without possession of the management password.
The affected self-protection mechanism design is outdated and was being replaced. The replacement design was in development for several years and has now been included in the affected products.
This update also addresses another issue that was very specific to the VSE product where closing the registry handles for the VSE process mcconsole.exe using Process Explorer (or similar tools) could be exploited to unlock the password protected VirusScan Console window. See SB10158 for additional details.
See the discoverer’s blog report at: https://packetstormsecurity.com/files/136089.
- Category 1 Products:
Ship the vulnerable technology and actively use the technology for their own self-protection or protection they offer to other McAfee products installed on the same device. - Category 2 Products:
Ship the vulnerable technology, but have already transitioned to a new self-protection mechanism that does not rely on the vulnerable technology. They still require an update to fully disable the vulnerable technology.
- Category 1:
- VirusScan Enterprise (VSE)
- Category 2:
- Data Exchange Layer (DXL)
- Host Intrusion Prevention Service (Host IPS)
- McAfee Active Response (MAR)
- McAfee Agent (MA)
- McAfee Data Loss Prevention Endpoint (DLPe)
- McAfee Device Control (MDC)
- McAfee Endpoint Security (ENS)
The McAfee VirusScan Console (mcconsol.exe) in McAfee Active Response (MAR) before 1.1.0.161, Agent (MA) 5.x before 5.0.2 Hotfix 1110392 (5.0.2.333), Data Exchange Layer 2.x (DXL) before 2.0.1.140.1, Data Loss Prevention Endpoint (DLPe) 9.3 before Patch 6 and 9.4 before Patch 1 HF3, Device Control (MDC) 9.3 before Patch 6 and 9.4 before Patch 1 HF3, Endpoint Security (ENS) 10.x before 10.1, Host Intrusion Prevention Service (IPS) 8.0 before 8.0.0.3624, and VirusScan Enterprise (VSE) 8.8 before P7 (8.8.0.1528) on Windows allows local administrators to bypass intended self-protection rules and disable the antivirus engine by modifying registry keys.
http://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2016-3984
CWE-592
Application Protections Bypass
http://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/592.html
Remediation
| Product | Type | Version | File Name | Release Date |
| Data Loss Prevention and Device Control 9.4 | Hotfix | 9.4 Patch 1 HF3 DLP ePO extension: (9.4.100.15) DLPe client for Windows: (9.4.103.4) |
McAfeeDLPEndPoint94P1HF3Licensed.zip | January 12, 2016 |
| Device Control 9.4 | Hotfix | 9.4 Patch 1 HF3 DLP ePO extension: (9.4.100.15) DLPe client for Windows: (9.4.103.4) |
McAfeeDeviceControl94P1HF3Licensed.zip | January 12, 2016 |
| Data Loss Prevention 9.3 Patch 6 Licensed Software | Patch | 9.3 Patch 6 DLP ePO extension: (9.3.600.5) DLPe client: (9.3.600.32) |
McAfeeDLPEndPoint93P6Licensed.zip | January 14, 2016 |
| Device Control 9.3 | Patch | 9.3 Patch 6 DLP ePO extension: (9.3.600.5) DLPe client: (9.3.600.32) |
McAfeeDeviceControl93P6Licensed.zip | January 14, 2016 |
| DXL | Patch | 2.0.1.140.1 | DXL_2.0.1_Build_140_Package_1_(ENU-LICENSED-RELEASE-BRANCH).zip | December 16, 2015 |
| ENS for Mac | Product | 10.1 | McAfee-Endpoint-Security-for-Mac-10.1.0-RTW-standalone-1997.dmg | December 14, 2015 |
| ENS For Windows | Product | 10.1 | McAfee_Endpoint_Security_v10_1_0_649_61_stand_alone_client_install.zip | December 16, 2015 |
| Host IPS | Patch | 8.0.0.3624 (Patch 7) | HIP80P7.zip | February 25, 2016 |
| MA | Patch | 5.0.3 | May 9, 2016 | |
| MA | Hotfix | 5.0.2.333 | MA502HF1110392WIN.zip | February 25, 2016 |
| MAR | Hotfix | 1.1.0.161 | Mar_Client_Package_Win_1.1.0.161.zip | January 28, 2016 |
| VSE | Patch | 8.8 P7 | VSE880P7.zip | February 25, 2016 |
| VSE | Hotfix | 8.8 HF11233565 | VSE880P7HF1123565.zip | April 29, 2016 |
Download and Installation Instructions
For instructions to download product updates and hotfixes, see KB56057 - How to download Enterprise product updates and documentation. Review the Release Notes and Installation Guide for instructions on how to install these updates. All documentation is available at our Product Documentation site.
Recommended Installation Sequence
The fix involved re-architecting the self-protection mechanisms in VSE, which functionally impacts multiple products. This architecture change creates an installation dependency between MA 5.0.3/MA 5.0.2.333 and VSE 8.8.0.1528. Please follow the recommended installation sequence to update to MA 5.0.3/MA 5.0.2.333 and VSE 8.8.0.1528 or later.
NOTE: This issue is resolved in both MA 5.0.2 Hotfix 1110392 and MA 5.0.3. Apart from this security fix, MA 5.0.3 contains additional fixes and functionality.
Table A: Product Update Versions Sorted By Release Date
The following product versions are referenced in Table B below.
| Product | Version | Release Build | Package Date |
| VSE | 8.8.0 Patch 5/6 Hotfix 1087536 | 8.8.0.1478 | October 1, 2015 |
| MA | 5.0.2 Hotfix 1091027 | 5.0.2.188 | November 18, 2015 |
| VSE | 8.8.0 Patch 7 | 8.8.0.1528 | February 12, 2016 |
| MA | 5.0.2 Hotfix 1110392 | 5.0.2.333 | February 25, 2016 |
| VSE | 8.8.0 Patch 6/7 Hotfix 1123565 | 8.8.0.1546 | April 29, 2016 |
Table B: Install Sequence Chart
Refer to the following Installation Sequence Chart for guidance.
| Scenario 1 | Scenario 2 | Scenario 3 | Scenario 4 | Scenario 5 | |
| Starting Point for Products Installed | VSE 8.8.0.1478: No MA 5.0.2.188: No |
VSE 8.8.0.1478: Yes MA 5.0.2.188: Yes |
VSE 8.8.0.1478: No MA 5.0.2.188: Yes |
VSE: Not Installed MA: 4.x or 5.x: Yes |
VSE 8.8.0.1478: Yes MA 5.0.2.188: No MA 4.x: Yes |
| Recommended Installation Sequence for Upgrade |
|
|
Upgrade to MA 5.0.3/MA 5.0.2.333 | Only Install: VSE 8.8.0.1528 Then Install VSE Patch 6/7 Hotfix 1123565 8.8.0.1546 Leave MA at MA 4.x |
|
| Impact of Not Following Recommended Sequence | No Impact. The VSE 8.8.0.1528 installer checks to ensure that MA 5.0.2.188 or MA 5.0.3/MA 5.0.2.333 is installed first. If you attempt to install VSE 8.8.0.1478 after MA 5.0.3/MA 5.0.2.333, the install will fail. Instead, install VSE 8.8.0.1528 directly. |
No Impact. However, you must upgrade to both MA 5.0.3/MA 5.0.2.333 and VSE 8.8.0.1528. If only VSE 8.8.0.1528 is installed and not MA 5.0.3/MA 5.0.2.333, product functionality will be impacted, as described in the following articles: |
If no intent to install VSE, ensure MA is upgraded to MA 5.0.3/5.0.2.333. Otherwise, product functionality will be impacted as described in article: KB83895. |
No Impact. | |
| Remediation if Impact Occurs | Install VSE 8.8.0.1528 and apply VSE Patch 6/7 Hotfix 1123565 8.8.0.1546 | Ensure both MA 5.0.3/MA 5.0.2.333 and VSE 8.8.0.1546 are installed | Install MA 5.0.3/MA 5.0.2.333 | N/A | |
NOTE: For customers who want to upgrade from MA 4.x to MA 5.x, upgrade to MA 5.0.3/MA 5.0.2.333 or later.
Acknowledgements
We credit Maurizio Agazzini (also known as inode) https://it.linkedin.com/in/maurizio-agazzini-b915243 from Mediaservice.net http://techblog.mediaservice.net/author/inode/ for reporting this flaw in VSE. He reported this issue in November 2014 and was gracious enough to allow us over a year to fix it correctly. It involved re-architecting the product's self-protection mechanisms, which functionally impacted multiple dependent products.
Maurizio reported this as one of two examples of the same vulnerability; however, upon further investigation it was determined that two different vulnerabilities were actually reported. This set of patches fixes Example #2. SB10158 fixes Example #1.
Maurizio reported this as one of two examples of the same vulnerability; however, upon further investigation it was determined that two different vulnerabilities were actually reported. This set of patches fixes Example #2. SB10158 fixes Example #1.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I know whether my product is vulnerable?
For Endpoint products:
Use the following instructions for endpoint or client-based products:
Check the version and build of ePO that is installed. For information on how to check the version, see KB52634.
For Appliances:
Use the following instructions for Appliance based products:
Use the following instructions:
CVSS, or Common Vulnerability Scoring System, is the result of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council’s effort to standardize a system of assessing the criticality of a vulnerability. This system offers an unbiased criticality score between 0 and 10 that customers can use to judge how critical a vulnerability is and plan accordingly. For more information, please visit the CVSS website at: http://www.first.org/cvss/.
When calculating CVSS v2 scores, McAfee has adopted a philosophy that fosters consistency and repeatability. Our guiding principle for CVSS scoring is to score the exploit under consideration by itself. We consider only the immediate and direct impact of the exploit under consideration. We do not factor into a score any potential follow-on exploits that might be made possible by successful exploitation of the issue being scored.
CVSS v3 scoring is in final review as of December 2015. CVSS v2 will be replaced with CVSS v3 when v3 is fully approved. Security bulletins will have scores for both versions for at least 6 months after v3 is fully approved.
https://www.first.org/cvss/v3/development
https://www.first.org/cvss/calculator/3.0
What are the CVSS scoring metrics that have been used?
CVE-2016-3984: Multiple products for Microsoft Windows fix a protected resource access bypass vulnerability
CVSS v3 Scoring:
NOTE: The below CVSS version 3.0 vector was used to generate this score.
https://www.first.org/cvss/calculator/3.0#CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L/E:F/RL:T/RC:C
CVSS v2.0 Scoring:
For Endpoint products:
Use the following instructions for endpoint or client-based products:
- Right-click on the McAfee tray shield icon on the Windows task bar.
- Select Open Console.
- In the console, select Action Menu.
- In the Action Menu, select Product Details. The product version is displayed.
Check the version and build of ePO that is installed. For information on how to check the version, see KB52634.
For Appliances:
Use the following instructions for Appliance based products:
- Open the Administrator's User Interface (UI).
- Click the About link. The product version is displayed.
Use the following instructions:
- Log on to ePO server.
- Click Menu, Data Protection, DLP Policy.
- Inside the DLP console click the Help menu item, About. The product version is displayed.
CVSS, or Common Vulnerability Scoring System, is the result of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council’s effort to standardize a system of assessing the criticality of a vulnerability. This system offers an unbiased criticality score between 0 and 10 that customers can use to judge how critical a vulnerability is and plan accordingly. For more information, please visit the CVSS website at: http://www.first.org/cvss/.
When calculating CVSS v2 scores, McAfee has adopted a philosophy that fosters consistency and repeatability. Our guiding principle for CVSS scoring is to score the exploit under consideration by itself. We consider only the immediate and direct impact of the exploit under consideration. We do not factor into a score any potential follow-on exploits that might be made possible by successful exploitation of the issue being scored.
CVSS v3 scoring is in final review as of December 2015. CVSS v2 will be replaced with CVSS v3 when v3 is fully approved. Security bulletins will have scores for both versions for at least 6 months after v3 is fully approved.
https://www.first.org/cvss/v3/development
https://www.first.org/cvss/calculator/3.0
| Base Score | 3.1 |
| Attack Vector (AV) | Local (L) |
| Attack Complexity (AC) | Low (L) |
| Privileges Required (PR) | High (H) |
| User Interaction (UI) | Required (R) |
| Scope (S) | Unchanged (U) |
| Confidentiality (C) | None (N) |
| Integrity (I) | Low (L) |
| Availability (A) | Low (L) |
| Temporal Score (Overall) | 2.9 |
| Exploitability (E) | Functional (F) |
| Remediation Level (RL) | Temporary Fix (T) |
| Report Confidence (RC) | Confirmed (C) |
NOTE: The below CVSS version 3.0 vector was used to generate this score.
https://www.first.org/cvss/calculator/3.0#CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L/E:F/RL:T/RC:C
CVSS v2.0 Scoring:
| Base Score | 3.0 |
| Related exploit range (AccessVector) | Local (L) |
| Attack complexity (AccessComplexity) | Medium (M) |
| Level of authentication needed (Authentication) | Single (S) |
| Confidentiality impact | None (N) |
| Integrity impact | Partial (P) |
| Availability impact | Partial (P) |
| Temporal Score (Overall) | 2.6 |
| Availability of exploit (Exploitability) | Functional Exploit Exists (F) |
| Type of fix available (RemediationLevel) | Temporary Fix (T) |
| Level of verification that vulnerability exists (ReportConfidence) | Confirmed (C) |
NOTE: The below CVSS version 2.0 vector was used to generate this score.
https://nvd.nist.gov/cvss.cfm?calculator&version=2&vector=(AV:L/AC:M/Au:S/C:N/I:P/A:P/E:F/RL:T/RC:C)
Where can I find a list of all Security Bulletins?
All Security Bulletins are published on our Knowledge Center. Security Bulletins are retired (removed) once a product is both End of Sale and End of Support (End of Life).
How do I report a product vulnerability to you?
If you have information about a security issue or vulnerability with a product, follow the instructions provided in KB95563 - Report a vulnerability.
How do you respond to this and any other reported security flaws?
Our key priority is the security of our customers. If a vulnerability is found within any of our software or services, we work closely with the relevant security software development team to ensure the rapid and effective development of a fix and communication plan.
We only publish Security Bulletins if they include something actionable such as a workaround, mitigation, version update, or hotfix. Otherwise, we would simply be informing the hacker community that our products are a target, putting our customers at greater risk. For products that are updated automatically, a non-actionable Security Bulletin might be published to acknowledge the discoverer.
To view our PSIRT policy, see KB95564 - About PSIRT.
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The information provided in this Security Bulletin is provided as is without warranty of any kind. We disclaim all warranties, either express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall we or our suppliers be liable for any damages whatsoever including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, loss of business profits, or special damages, even if we or our suppliers have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some states don't allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, so the preceding limitation may not apply.
Any future product release dates mentioned in this Security Bulletin are intended to outline our general product direction, and they shouldn't be relied on in making a purchasing decision. The product release dates are for information purposes only, and may not be incorporated into any contract. The product release dates aren't a commitment, promise, or legal obligation to deliver any material, code, or functionality. The development, release, and timing of any features or functionality described for our products remain at our sole discretion and may be changed or canceled at any time.
Any future product release dates mentioned in this Security Bulletin are intended to outline our general product direction, and they shouldn't be relied on in making a purchasing decision. The product release dates are for information purposes only, and may not be incorporated into any contract. The product release dates aren't a commitment, promise, or legal obligation to deliver any material, code, or functionality. The development, release, and timing of any features or functionality described for our products remain at our sole discretion and may be changed or canceled at any time.
