# CVE-2005-3657: Path traversal in n/a

> Remote attackers can create or append to arbitrary files via unsafe ActiveX methods in McAfee VirusScan, requiring user interaction to visit a malicious site.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.0 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 21 Dec 2005
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-q8cw-f2cj-49gc

## What is CVE-2005-3657?

CVE-2005-3657 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 21 Dec 2005. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

The ActiveX control in MCINSCTL.DLL for McAfee VirusScan Security Center does not use the IObjectSafetySiteLock API to restrict access to required domains, which allows remote attackers to create or append to arbitrary files via the StartLog and AddLog methods in the MCINSTALL.McLog object.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2005-3657?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Mcafee Mcinsctl.dll, Mcafee Virusscan Security Center.

## How do I fix CVE-2005-3657?

No fix has been published for CVE-2005-3657 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2005-3657 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2005-3657 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2005-3657 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2005-3657 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in n/a, published on 21 Dec 2005. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2005-3657 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-3657/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-3657/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2005-3657
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2005-3657
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2005-3657

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-3657/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.