McAfee 4.0 / Network Associates for Windows NT 4.0.2/4.0.3 a / Norton AntiVirus 2000 - Recycle Bin Exclusion

EDB-ID:

19733




Platform:

Windows

Date:

1999-12-22


McAfee VirusScan 4.0,Network Associates VirusScan for Windows NT 4.0.2/4.0.3 a,Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2000 Recycle Bin Exclusion Vulnerability

source: https://www.securityfocus.com/bid/956/info

Many commercial virus scanners for Windows platforms exclude the Recycled folder on the hard drive from their scans. The Recycled folder is where Win9x operating systems keep files that have been deleted via the GUI but not purged from the Recycle Bin. Files of any nature can be manually placed in the Recycled folder. Therefore, it is possible for any user or program to put code into that folder that will never be subject to virus scans.

Although WinNT makes use of a folder called 'Recycler' for similar purposes, many virus scanners for NT still have the 'Recycled' folder listed in the exclusions.

Note that other virus scanners than those listed under the 'info' tab may be vulnerable as well. 

This exploit will install a 'decoy' executable to the desktop, and install a file (winsetup.dll) containing an eicar.com virus signature into the Recycled folder. The hostile code is originally XORed with 25 to get it past active detection, but is then restored to its regular executable state after being placed into the recycled folder.

The zip file contains the executable exploit, and source for the installer and the decoy. 

https://gitlab.com/exploit-database/exploitdb-bin-sploits/-/raw/main/bin-sploits/19733.zip