HIGH CVSS 7.5
Published: 2017-04-27

CVE-2017-8308

avast antivirus Security Advisory (CVE-2017-8308)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2017-8308 impacting avast antivirus. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 7.5 (HIGH).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
In Avast Antivirus before v17, an unprivileged user (and thus malware or a virus) can mark an arbitrary process as Trusted from the perspective of the Avast product. This bypasses the Self-Defense feature of the product, opening a door to subsequent attack on many of its components.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
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 avast / antivirus
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-269

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-2017-8308 impacting avast antivirus.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2017-8308.yaml
id: cve-2017-8308

info:
  name: avast antivirus - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: high
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2017-8308 affecting avast antivirus.
    Evaluation: In Avast Antivirus before v17, an unprivileged user (and thus malware or a virus) can mark an arbitrary process as Trusted from the perspective of the...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2017-8308
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
    cvss-score: 7.5
    cve-id: CVE-2017-8308
    cwe-id: CWE-269
  tags: cve,cve-2017-8308,avast,antivirus,high

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "antivirus"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2017-8308.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2017-8308
# Target: avast antivirus | CVSS: 7.5 (HIGH)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2017-8308 (avast antivirus)...")
    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 avast antivirus 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-2017-8308.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2017-8308
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install antivirus 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade antivirus 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update antivirus

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

# 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.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2017-8308 in avast antivirus?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update avast antivirus 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-2017-8308?

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-2017-8308?

CVE-2017-8308 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 7.5 (HIGH). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
7.5
HIGH SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2017-8308
Weakness CWE-269
Vendor avast
Product antivirus
Published 2017-04-27
Vector CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N