Following a few media requests on the Matousec.com article about Khobe 8.0 Earthquake vulnerability, ESET would like to assure its customers that they don’t need to be worried about their security. The vulnerability potentially targets only the self-defense mechanism in EAV and ESS version 4 and above, with no effect on the standard functionality of the scanner.
Under certain circumstances the self-defense protection could be bypassed, thus allowing otherwise blocked malicious software (malware) to perform some activities. However, in order for a full-fledged attack to be carried out, the machine needs to have been previously compromised (infected).
The overall danger remains low. Despite the fact that this attack scenario has been known about for more than 6 years (arguably even more than 10), to date it hasn’t materialized in the wild.
The ESET development team is currently closely analyzing this vulnerability and looking into possible solutions, should these types of attacks become pursued by malware writers.
Even though there is no imminent danger to the public, ESET would like to advise its customers to update their security suites or antivirus solutions regularly and stay vigilant while online.
About ESET
Founded in 1992, ESET is a global provider of security solutions for the home and business segment. The industry leader in proactive malware detection, ESET NOD32 Antivirus holds the world record for the number of Virus Bulletin "VB100 Awards," never to have missed a single “In-the-Wild” worm or virus since the inception of testing in 1998. ESET has headquarters in Bratislava, Slovakia and offices in San Diego, USA; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Prague, Czech Republic, and an extensive partner network in 160 countries. In 2008, ESET has opened a new research center in Krakow, Poland. ESET was named by Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 as one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the region of Europe, Middle East and Africa.