CVE-2012-1420
MediumThe TAR file parser in Quick Heal (aka Cat QuickHeal) 11.00, Command Antivirus 5.2.11.5, F-Prot Antivirus 4.6.2.117, Fortinet Antivirus 4.2.254.0, K7 AntiVirus 9.77.3565, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0.0.125, Antimalware Engine 1.1.6402.0 in Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0, NOD32…
Published Mar 21, 2012 · Updated Apr 28, 2026
Key Facts
Patch immediately- CVE-2012-1420 is a medium-severity vulnerability (CVSS 4.3 v2) affecting Command Antivirus (Authentium), Quick Heal (Cat), Nod32 Antivirus (Eset) and 8 more products.
- It is not listed in any known-exploited vulnerabilities catalog. No public exploit code is known.
- EPSS estimates a 97% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- No fixed version is listed yet; check the vendor advisory for mitigations.
- Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is very likely to be exploited soon.
CVSS v2
4.3
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N
EPSS (30-day exploit likelihood)
97%
Higher than 99.8% of all scored CVEs
Exploited in the wild
No known
Not in a known-exploited catalog
Public exploit code
None known
Get the full CVE-2012-1420 brief as a PDF
Every affected product and fixed release, exploitation status and a first 24 hours response checklist, emailed within minutes.
Description
The TAR file parser in Quick Heal (aka Cat QuickHeal) 11.00, Command Antivirus 5.2.11.5, F-Prot Antivirus 4.6.2.117, Fortinet Antivirus 4.2.254.0, K7 AntiVirus 9.77.3565, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0.0.125, Antimalware Engine 1.1.6402.0 in Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0, NOD32 Antivirus 5795, Norman Antivirus 6.06.12, Panda Antivirus 10.0.2.7, and Rising Antivirus 22.83.00.03 allows remote attackers to bypass malware detection via a POSIX TAR file with an initial \7fELF character sequence. NOTE: this may later be SPLIT into multiple CVEs if additional information is published showing that the error occurred independently in different TAR parser implementations.
Affected Products
11 affected entries in total| Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Command AntivirusAuthentium | 5.2.11.5 | n/a |
| Quick HealCat | 11.00 | n/a |
| Nod32 AntivirusEset | 5795 | n/a |
| Fortinet AntivirusFortinet | 4.2.254.0 | n/a |
| F-Prot AntivirusF-Prot | 4.6.2.117 | n/a |
Timeline
Publicly disclosed
Mar 21, 2012
Last updated
Apr 28, 2026
Weakness Type
- CWE-264
References
- other80403
- other80406
- other80407
- other80409
- otherhttp://www.ieee-security.org/TC/SP2012/program.html
FAQ
Common Questions.
The TAR file parser in Quick Heal (aka Cat QuickHeal) 11.00, Command Antivirus 5.2.11.5, F-Prot Antivirus 4.6.2.117, Fortinet Antivirus 4.2.254.0, K7 AntiVirus 9.77.3565, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 7.0.0.125, Antimalware Engine 1.1.6402.0 in Microsoft Security Essentials 2.0, NOD32 Antivirus 5795, Norman Antivirus 6.06.12,…
Affected: Command Antivirus (Authentium) versions 5.2.11.5; Quick Heal (Cat) versions 11.00; Nod32 Antivirus (Eset) versions 5795, among others. The full list is in the CVE brief.
It is not listed in any known-exploited vulnerabilities catalog.
No, it is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
No public exploit code is known.
No fixed version is listed yet; check the vendor advisory for mitigations.
Brandefense priority: patch immediately, because it is very likely to be exploited soon.
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