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Malware Protection Plus EUVDEUVD-2026-98324

| CVE-2026-14308 MEDIUM
Improper Input Validation (CWE-20)
2026-10-13 Zohocorp GHSA-864f-qwpg-3m3r
4.9
CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: Zohocorp
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Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

  1. Access
    Obtain local high-privilege/physical access to host
  2. Exploit
    Submit malicious unsigned driver to MEARWService
  3. Execution
    Bypass insufficient signature validation
  4. Impact
    Load and execute attacker-controlled kernel driver

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A05:2025 - Injection
ASVS 5.0
V2 - Validation and Business Logic Input validation, allowlisting
Exploitation Conditions

Requires an attacker who already holds high privileges (PR:H, i.e. administrative rights) on the endpoint running ManageEngine Malware Protection Plus, and per the vendor vector also local/physical access to the machine (AV:P) - this is not remotely or network exploitable. The specific prerequisite is the ability to invoke the MEARWService component and supply a driver; the service's failure to enforce valid driver signatures is the enabling condition. Limiting factors that reduce real-world risk: no user interaction of a victim is needed (UI:N) but the attacker must first achieve admin-level and physical presence, and only versions before 1.0.64.12 are affected (patched in 1.0.64.12).

Impact

This is a low-to-moderate real-world priority despite being a kernel-adjacent driver flaw. The vendor CVSS of 4.9 (MEDIUM) is driven down by two strong mitigating metrics in the supplied vector (CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H): a Physical attack vector (AV:P) and High privileges required (PR:H), meaning an attacker must already hold elevated access to the host. No EPSS score, no CISA KEV listing, and no public POC were provided, so there is no public exploit identified at time of analysis and no evidence of active or automatable exploitation. CONFLICT TO VERIFY: the vendor vector sets C:N/I:N and reports only availability impact (A:H), yet the root cause - insufficient driver signature validation in MEARWService - would normally let an attacker load an unsigned/malicious kernel driver, which typically yields full confidentiality and integrity compromise, not just availability loss; the impact metrics appear understated. Additionally, AV:P (physical) is unusual for a driver-loading service flaw that is normally a local/software operation (AV:L) - verify the true attack vector with Zohocorp. Net: not an urgent patch-now item on raw signals, but the pre-conditions (attacker already has admin/physical access) and the kernel-driver nature mean it should be patched in normal cycles because successful exploitation gives kernel-level foothold.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

An attacker who has already gained high-privilege (administrative) access to a workstation or server running ManageEngine Malware Protection Plus abuses the MEARWService component, which fails to properly validate driver signatures, to load an improperly signed or malicious kernel-mode driver. Because the CVSS scope is Changed (S:C), the loaded driver executes at kernel level and can impact the integrity of the protected system beyond the vulnerable service itself. No public exploit code was identified in the provided intelligence, and exploitation requires pre-existing privileged (and per the vendor vector, physical) access.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
No patch listed yet 0.4% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Oct 13, 2026

Insufficient driver signature validation in the MEARWService component of Zoho Corp's ManageEngine Malware Protection Plus (all versions before 1.0.64.12) allows an attacker who already holds administrative rights on the endpoint and has local or physical access to load a driver that the service fails to validate. Successful abuse can extend beyond the service into the kernel, yielding high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact (scope-changed), though the AV:P/PR:H vendor vector and the need for pre-existing admin plus physical presence keep this a low-to-moderate real-world priority. The issue is patched in 1.0.64.12, no public exploit code has been identified, and there is no confirmed active exploitation (not in CISA KEV) at time of analysis.

RemediationAI

Upgrade ManageEngine Malware Protection Plus to version 1.0.64.12 or later, which is the vendor-released fix for this CVE (see https://www.manageengine.com/malware-protection/help/edr/insufficient-driver-signature-kb.html); because the flaw requires administrative and local/physical access, prioritizing the patch on endpoints where non-standard admin rights are granted is the most effective step. If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict and audit local administrator group membership and physical/console access to managed endpoints, since PR:H and AV:P are hard prerequisites and removing that access removes exploitability entirely - the trade-off is increased help-desk friction and reduced local troubleshooting capability. Enforce Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) or a Microsoft-recommended driver blocklist in audit-then-enforce mode to prevent unsigned or untrusted drivers from loading regardless of MEARWService behavior, accepting the operational overhead of driver allow-listing and potential breakage of legitimate third-party drivers. Monitor Windows event logs for suspicious driver load events and service invocations around MEARWService to detect attempted abuse.

Affected VersionsENISA

ManageEngine Malware Protection Plus 0 ≤1.0.64.12

Affected Packages

euvd manageengine_malware_protection_plus no fix

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 rooted in CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) and manifests specifically as missing or inadequate enforcement of driver signature validation inside MEARWService, a Windows service shipped with ManageEngine Malware Protection Plus. Rather than verifying that a driver image carries a trusted, valid Authenticode signature before loading it, the service accepts the supplied binary at face value, so an actor capable of invoking the service and providing a driver can bypass Windows' driver-signing trust model. Because the flaw sits in the boundary between a user-mode service and kernel-mode driver loading, the vendor vector is scope-changed (S:C), reflecting that the compromise can propagate from the vulnerable component to the wider operating system, and the independent assessment rates it C:H/I:H/A:H. The CPE cpe:2.3:a:zohocorp:manageengine_malware_protection_plus is unversioned in the feed, so the authoritative affected range comes from the vendor advisory (everything before 1.0.64.12).

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Severity by source

Vendor (Zohocorp) PRIMARY 4.9 MEDIUM
AV:P/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H
vuln.today AI 8.2 HIGH

Driver loading is a local privileged operation (AV:L, PR:H), and bypassing signature validation loads a malicious kernel driver yielding full system compromise (S:C, C/I/A:H), unlike the vendor's A:H-only scoring.

3.1 AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.0 AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (Zohocorp).

CVSS VectorVendor: Zohocorp

Attack Vector
Physical
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
High
User Interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

DescriptionCVE.org

Zohocorp ManageEngine Malware Protection Plus versions before 1.0.64.12 are affected by insufficient driver signature validation in MEARWService.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.4%
Top 67% exploitable
Prevalence
Medium
specialized ManageEngine EDR/malware-protection agent, common vendor but narrower product footprint
Data Quality
6 sources
Confidence: High

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.

SignalValue
Severity MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.4%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Defer
Exploitation
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium
Technical Impact
Partial

Priority Score

24
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +24
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

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