MEDIUM CVSS 5.9
Published: 2017-03-14

CVE-2014-9920

mcafee application_control Security Advisory (CVE-2014-9920)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2014-9920 impacting mcafee application_control. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 5.9 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
Unauthorized execution of binary vulnerability in McAfee (now Intel Security) McAfee Application Control (MAC) 6.0.0 before hotfix 9726, 6.0.1 before hotfix 9068, 6.1.0 before hotfix 692, 6.1.1 before hotfix 399, 6.1.2 before hotfix 426, and 6.1.3 before hotfix 357 and earlier allows attackers to create a malformed Windows binary that is considered non-executable and is not protected through the whitelisting protection feature via a specific set of circumstances.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
High (AC:H)
Depends on race conditions or environment
Privileges Required
None (PR:N)
Unauthenticated execution
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
None (C:N)
No data confidentiality impact
Integrity
High (I:H)
Total modification of target system
Availability
None (A:N)
No system availability impact

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product mcafee / application_control
Affected Versions 6.0.0
Weakness Enumeration CWE-284

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2014-9920 impacting mcafee application_control.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2014-9920.yaml
id: cve-2014-9920

info:
  name: mcafee application_control - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2014-9920 affecting mcafee application_control.
    Evaluation: Unauthorized execution of binary vulnerability in McAfee (now Intel Security) McAfee Application Control (MAC) 6.0.0 before hotfix 9726, 6.0.1 before ...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2014-9920
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
    cvss-score: 5.9
    cve-id: CVE-2014-9920
    cwe-id: CWE-284
  tags: cve,cve-2014-9920,mcafee,application_control,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "application_control"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2014-9920.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2014-9920
# Target: mcafee application_control | CVSS: 5.9 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2014-9920 (mcafee application_control)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against mcafee application_control scope (6.0.0).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2014-9920.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2014-9920
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install application_control 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade application_control 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update application_control

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i application_control 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i application_control

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

🔗 Verified Technical References

Authorities
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Distributions
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❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2014-9920 in mcafee application_control?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update mcafee application_control packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2014-9920?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2014-9920?

CVE-2014-9920 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 5.9 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
5.9
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2014-9920
Weakness CWE-284
Vendor mcafee
Product application_control
Published 2017-03-14
Vector CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N