MEDIUM CVSS 5.5
Published: 2017-03-14

CVE-2015-8986

mcafee advanced_threat_defense Security Advisory (CVE-2015-8986)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2015-8986 impacting mcafee advanced_threat_defense. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
Sandbox detection evasion vulnerability in hardware appliances in McAfee (now Intel Security) Advanced Threat Defense (MATD) 3.4.2.32 and earlier allows attackers to detect the sandbox environment, then bypass proper malware detection resulting in failure to detect a malware file (false-negative) via specially crafted malware.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Local (AV:L)
Requires local system execution permissions
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
None (PR:N)
Unauthenticated execution
User Interaction
Required (UI:R)
User must click or open resource
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 / advanced_threat_defense
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-254

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-2015-8986 impacting mcafee advanced_threat_defense.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2015-8986.yaml
id: cve-2015-8986

info:
  name: mcafee advanced_threat_defense - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2015-8986 affecting mcafee advanced_threat_defense.
    Evaluation: Sandbox detection evasion vulnerability in hardware appliances in McAfee (now Intel Security) Advanced Threat Defense (MATD) 3.4.2.32 and earlier allo...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2015-8986
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
    cvss-score: 5.5
    cve-id: CVE-2015-8986
    cwe-id: CWE-254
  tags: cve,cve-2015-8986,mcafee,advanced_threat_defense,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "advanced_threat_defense"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2015-8986.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2015-8986
# Target: mcafee advanced_threat_defense | CVSS: 5.5 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2015-8986 (mcafee advanced_threat_defense)...")
    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 advanced_threat_defense scope (*).")
        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-2015-8986.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2015-8986
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install advanced_threat_defense 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade advanced_threat_defense 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update advanced_threat_defense

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

# 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
  • No records filed in this category.
Distributions
  • No records filed in this category.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2015-8986 in mcafee advanced_threat_defense?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update mcafee advanced_threat_defense 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-2015-8986?

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-2015-8986?

CVE-2015-8986 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
5.5
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2015-8986
Weakness CWE-254
Vendor mcafee
Product advanced_threat_defense
Published 2017-03-14
Vector CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N