# CVE-2019-3636: File masquerade attack vulnerability in McAfee Total Protection

> Attackers can read antivirus exclusion lists from the registry and replace excluded files with malware, bypassing detection in McAfee Total Protection.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 28 Oct 2019
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-fcqr-w4fr-6f6x

## What is CVE-2019-3636?

CVE-2019-3636 is a high-severity vulnerability in McAfee, LCC McAfee Total Protection, published on 28 Oct 2019. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

A File Masquerade vulnerability in McAfee Total Protection (MTP) version 16.0.R21 and earlier in Windows client allowed an attacker to read the plaintext list of AV-Scan exclusion files from the Windows registry, and to possibly replace excluded files with potential malware without being detected.

Weakness: CWE-312 (Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-3636?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Mcafee Total Protection.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-3636?

No fix has been published for CVE-2019-3636 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2019-3636 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-3636 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in McAfee, LCC McAfee Total Protection

- [CVE-2021-23874](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-23874/): McAfee Total Protection (MTP) Improper Privilege Management (high 8.2, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2023-24579](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-24579/): Security feature bypass in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2022-43751](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-43751/): Path traversal in n/a (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2021-23872](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-23872/): Privilege Escalation vulnerability in McAfee Total Protection (MTP) (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2021-23891](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-23891/): Privilege Escalation vulnerability in McAfee Total Protection (MTP) (high 7.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-3636 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-3636 is a high-severity vulnerability in McAfee, LCC McAfee Total Protection, published on 28 Oct 2019. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-3636 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: McAfee, LCC McAfee Total Protection. 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-2019-3636/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-3636/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-3636
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-3636
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-3636

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-3636/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.