CVE-2019-3585
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows local users on Windows systems to escalate privileges by interacting with McAfee VirusScan Enterprise's threat alert window when the McTray.exe process runs with elevated privileges. It affects McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.8 installations prior to Patch 14. Attackers could potentially execute malicious code with higher privileges than intended.
💻 Affected Systems
- McAfee VirusScan Enterprise
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An authenticated local attacker could achieve full system compromise by executing arbitrary code with SYSTEM or administrator privileges, potentially installing persistent malware, stealing credentials, or disabling security controls.
Likely Case
A local user with limited privileges could elevate to administrator/SYSTEM level access, allowing them to bypass security controls, install unauthorized software, or access protected system resources.
If Mitigated
With proper patch management and least privilege principles, the risk is limited to authorized users who already have some level of local access but cannot achieve full system compromise.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access and interaction with the threat alert window. The attacker needs to be able to run McTray.exe with elevated privileges and interact with the specific UI component.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Patch 14 for McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.8
Vendor Advisory: https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=SB10302
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download Patch 14 from the McAfee support portal. 2. Apply the patch to all affected systems. 3. Restart the systems to complete the installation. 4. Verify the patch is applied successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Remove elevated privileges from McTray.exe
windowsConfigure McTray.exe to run with standard user privileges instead of elevated privileges to prevent the privilege escalation vector.
Configure via Group Policy or local security policy to remove administrative privileges from McTray.exe execution
Disable threat alert window interaction
windowsConfigure McAfee VirusScan Enterprise to prevent user interaction with threat alert windows.
Configure via McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator or local settings to disable interactive threat alerts
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict least privilege access controls to limit which users have local access to affected systems
- Monitor for unusual privilege escalation attempts and McTray.exe behavior anomalies
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check McAfee VirusScan Enterprise version and patch level. If version is 8.8 and patch level is earlier than Patch 14, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Check registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\McAfee\VirusScan Enterprise\CurrentVersion or use McAfee ePolicy OrchestratorVerify Fix Applied:
Verify that Patch 14 is installed by checking the patch level in McAfee VirusScan Enterprise console or system registry.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual privilege escalation events in Windows Security logs
- Multiple failed/successful attempts to interact with McTray.exe processes
- McTray.exe running with unexpected privilege levels
Network Indicators:
- Not applicable - local privilege escalation only
SIEM Query:
EventID=4688 AND ProcessName='McTray.exe' AND NewProcessName contains 'cmd.exe' OR 'powershell.exe' OR other suspicious processes