Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HSummary
CVE-2024-20290 is a high-severity Buffer Over-read (CWE-126) vulnerability in Cisco Secure Endpoint. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique OS Credential Dumping (T1003); ranked in the top 2% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SA-8 (Security and Privacy Engineering Principles) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
A vulnerability in the OLE2 file format parser of ClamAV stems from an incorrect check for end-of-string values during scanning. This flaw produces a heap buffer over-read, which can terminate the scanning process. The issue affects ClamAV installations that process untrusted files containing OLE2 content and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.5.
An unauthenticated remote attacker can trigger the condition by submitting a specially crafted OLE2 file to any ClamAV instance configured to scan incoming content. Successful exploitation causes the scanner to crash, producing a denial-of-service condition that also consumes system resources until the process is restarted.
Cisco and Fedora have published advisories referencing this CVE; operators should apply the updated ClamAV packages listed in those notices to eliminate the vulnerable parser code. The associated EPSS score reached a peak of 0.1035 but has since declined to 0.0859, indicating limited and waning exploitation interest after disclosure.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2024-18005
Vulnerability Data
A 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…
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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 .
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation (static analysis, fuzzing, bounds checking tests) directly finds buffer over-read flaws.
Engineering principles such as memory-safe design and bounds-checked abstractions structurally stop introduction of out-of-bounds reads.
Process isolation limits the blast radius of an over-read to the compromised domain.
Input validation enforces length and index constraints that prevent many externally triggered over-reads.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure development practices directly prevent introduction of buffer over-read weaknesses.
Vulnerability identification processes can discover buffer over-read flaws via scanning or review.
Patching or replacing vulnerable software removes known instances of buffer over-read bugs.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development can detect buffer over-reads before release.
Logging can record evidence of an out-of-bounds read but does not prevent the weakness itself.
Secure SDLC mandates input validation and bounds checking that can prevent buffer over-reads.
Application security requirements can specify buffer-size and bounds-checking rules.
Secure architecture principles include memory-safety and bounds-checking design choices.
Secure coding standards directly require bounds-checked buffer access, mitigating over-reads.