Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
-
AccessCraft malformed MSI file
-
DeliveryDeliver via download or attachment
-
ExploitAvira on-access scanner parses MSI
-
ExecutionTrigger heap out-of-bounds read
-
PersistCorrupt engine process memory
-
ImpactExecute code as AV service or crash engine
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Bounds checking, read limits
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Collection The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires (1) Avira Antivirus running an engine build older than 8.3.70.56 on Windows, macOS, or Linux; (2) a Windows MSI file with a specifically malformed structure delivered to a path the engine will scan; and (3) the engine actually invoking its MSI parser on that file, either via on-access scanning when the file lands on disk, scheduled/manual scans, or user-initiated 'scan this file' actions (the UI:R element of the CVSS vector). Limiting factors are that the attacker needs a delivery primitive to place the file on the target system, the bug is local (not network-reachable via the engine itself), and the malformed MSI must survive intermediate handling (mail gateways, archive extractors) intact enough for the Avira parser to dereference the out-of-bounds region. |
| Impact | Real-world risk is moderate-to-high but not internet-facing. The CVSS vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R reflects that an attacker cannot reach the engine remotely on their own: a local file (planted via download, email attachment, USB, or shared folder) must be processed by the AV engine, typically when a user interacts with it or on-access scanning fires. Triggering the bug yields C:H/I:H/A:H because the Avira engine usually runs with elevated privileges, making successful code execution effectively a local privilege escalation. There is no EPSS, KEV, or POC indication in the supplied intelligence, suggesting opportunistic mass exploitation is unlikely; however, AV engines are historically high-value targets for endpoint privilege escalation, so the risk for targeted intrusions is meaningful. The 'UI:R' requirement is conservative - on-access scanners often process files without explicit user action, so defenders should not over-discount on that basis. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker emails or hosts a crafted MSI installer and induces the victim to download or open the containing folder; Avira's on-access or on-demand scan parses the malformed MSI structure and reads past the heap buffer. The resulting memory corruption either crashes the AV service (denial of service that leaves the host unprotected) or, with a tuned payload, achieves local code execution in the privileged engine context. No public exploit identified at time of analysis, but the bug class - AV-engine file-format parser - has a well-documented exploitation history. |
Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.
Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Jun 12, 2026
Local code execution or denial-of-service in Avira Antivirus engine builds prior to 8.3.70.56 occurs when the scanner parses a malformed Windows MSI installer file, triggering a heap out-of-bounds read. The flaw affects deployments on Windows, macOS, and Linux and requires user interaction to place a crafted MSI where the engine will scan it. No public exploit identified at time of analysis and CVSS scores it 7.8 High.
RemediationAI
Patch available per vendor advisory: update the Avira Antivirus scanning engine to build 8.3.70.56 or later, which most Avira products receive automatically through the engine/definition update channel - verify the engine build under Avira's About/Update screen and consult https://www.gendigital.com/us/en/contact-us/security-advisories/ for the formal notice. Until the updated engine is confirmed deployed, compensating controls include disabling on-access scanning of MSI files via exclusion of the .msi extension (trade-off: malicious installers will no longer be inspected pre-execution, weakening endpoint protection) or blocking inbound delivery of MSI attachments at the mail gateway and proxy (trade-off: legitimate software deployments delivered via MSI may be interrupted). Endpoint logging should be increased on the Avira service process so that crashes consistent with this CWE-125 read are surfaced rather than silently restarted.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
The vulnerability is a CWE-125 out-of-bounds read in the Avira Antivirus scanning engine, identified in CPE cpe:2.3:a:gen_digital:avira_antivirus (Gen Digital, the vendor that absorbed Avira). MSI files are Microsoft Installer packages built on the OLE/Compound File Binary structured-storage format, which contains tables and streams parsed by AV engines to inspect embedded executables. A malformed MSI can cause the parser to read past an allocated heap buffer, exposing adjacent memory or - depending on how the read value is later used - corrupting control flow inside the always-on scanning service.
Know when Avira Antivirus gets its next vulnerability
- Watch products and get an email when something new is published
- Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
- Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources
No credit card · 7-day full trial
Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Local file must be scanned (AV:L, UI:R); no auth needed to plant a file (PR:N); privileged AV engine execution yields full C/I/A impact within the same scope.
Primary rating from Vendor (GEN).
CVSS VectorVendor: GEN
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Heap buffer out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Avira Antivirus engine when scanning a malformed Windows MSI file may allow Local Execution of Code or Denial-of-Service of the antivirus engine process.
This issue affects Avira Antivirus on Windows, macOS, and Linux for engine builds before 8.3.70.56.
Executive ViewAI
Avira Antivirus engine versions prior to 8.3.70.56 contain a heap out-of-bounds read vulnerability (CVE-2025-7017) that allows local code execution or service denial when scanning malformed Windows MSI files, affecting Windows, macOS, and Linux deployments. Organizations relying on Avira for endpoint protection should address this immediately as it directly undermines antivirus defense, and no patch is currently available.
No vendor-released patch identified at time of analysis. Interim mitigations: disable antivirus scanning of MSI files where operationally feasible; restrict user write access to directories containing MSI files; enforce application whitelisting to prevent MSI execution from untrusted locations; implement segmentation and privilege limits to contain lateral movement if local execution occurs; conduct user awareness training to refuse unknown MSI files.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
More in Avira Antivirus
View allLocal code execution in Avira Antivirus engine builds prior to 8.3.27.12 on Windows, macOS, and Linux occurs when the sc
Local code execution in Avira Antivirus engine builds before 8.3.70.104 on Windows, macOS, and Linux allows attackers to
Local code execution in Avira Antivirus engine builds before 8.3.70.76 on Windows, macOS, and Linux is triggered when th
Heap out-of-bounds read in the Avira Antivirus scanning engine on Windows, macOS, and Linux (engine builds before 8.3.70
Out-of-bounds heap read in the Avira Antivirus scanning engine triggers when the engine parses a malformed PDF, allowing
Local code execution and denial-of-service in Avira Antivirus engine builds before 8.3.70.68 allow an attacker to compro
Null pointer dereference in the Avira Antivirus scanning engine crashes the antivirus process when it parses a specially
EUVD-2025-210131
GHSA-gj87-8w35-2w23
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
VulDB
Exploit-DB