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McAfee VirusScan Enterprise for Linux Security Flaws Gives Attackers Root Access

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

McAfee VirusScan Enterprise for Linux Security Flaws Gives Attackers Root Access

McAfee has patched 10 critical vulnerabilities in its VirusScan Enterprise for Linux, reportedly six months after they were disclosed. According to security researcher Andrew Fasano from MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the vulnerabilities when chained could result in the execution of the code remotely as a root user.

“At a first glance, Intel’s McAfee VirusScan Enterprise for Linux has all the best characteristics that vulnerability researchers love: it runs as root, it claims to make your machine more secure, it’s not particularly popular, and it looks like it hasn’t been updated in a long time,” the security advisory reads. “When I noticed all these, I decided to take a look.”

Fasano said that attackers could chain the flaws to compromise VirusScan Enterprise for Linux by running malicious update servers. The malicious script after chaining the vulnerabilities is then run by the root user on the victim machine.

The vulnerabilities have been found present from at least version 1.9.2 through version 2.0.2, which was released in April 2016.
Fasano originally reported the vulnerabilities in June through the US computer emergency response team clearing house which passed on the information to McAfee. The security company in return asked for a six month non-disclosure extension until December. The company made no contact after July and was informed on December 5 that the report would be published on December 12.

McAfee on December 9 published the reports of the vulnerabilities, four days ahead of Fasano’s report.

Fasano detailed the process which requires four of the 10 vulnerabilities to complete the exploit. The first pair, CVE-2016-8016 and CVE-2016-8017 allows an authentication token to be brute-forced and used to connect with McAfee Linux clients.

The attackers then use another flaw CVE-2016-8021 to force the target to create a malicious script. A request is then sent to authenticate the start of virus scan but which will execute the malicious script instead using CVE-2016-8020 and CVE-2016-8021. With these flaws combined, the attackers malicious script is run as root on the victim’s machine.

In addition to this, Fasano found six more bugs which include an authenticated SQL injection, CVE-2016-8025, HTTP response splitting (CVE-2016-8024), cross-site scripting (CVE-2016-8019), cross-site request forgery tokens (CVE-2016-8018) and a remote unauthenticated file read and existence test (CVE-2016-8016, CVE-2016-8017).

[Source:- gadgets.ndtv]

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Intel to Spin Out McAfee Unit, Sell Stake in Business to TPG

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

Intel to Spin Out McAfee Unit, Sell Stake in Business to TPG

Intel Corp said it would spin out its cyber security division, formerly known as McAfee, and sell a majority stake in it to investment firm TPG for $3.1 billion in cash.

TPG will own 51 percent of the new entity, valuing the entire company at $4.2 billion including debt.

Intel, which bought McAfee for $7.7 billion in 2011, will retain a 49 percent stake in the business.

The deal ends a failed effort by Intel to stake out a major position in the computer security business. At the time of the acquisition, Intel spoke of integrating McAfee security technology into its chips, but little came of those plans.

Intel executives at the time also said they hoped the acquisition would give it a piece of the emerging business of protecting corporations from sophisticated espionage, but newer players such as Mandiant, now a unit of FireEye, came to dominate that business.

At the same time, PC growth slowed, eroding the traditional McAfee customer base’s potential.

The unit, rebranded as Intel Security Group in 2014, will revert to the McAfee brand name following the closing of the deal, expected in the second quarter of 2017.

McAfee’s founder, John McAfee, was for a time on the run from a murder investigation in Belize and is a pariah in the industry. He recently sued Intel to get back the right to use his name.

Chris Young, Intel Security’s general manager, will be named chief executive of the new company.

Intel Security’s revenue rose 11 percent to $1.1 billion through the first half of this year, the company said in a statement.

TPG, which is making a $1.1 billion equity investment in the company, first approached Intel’s board about a potential transaction for McAfee around a year ago, sources familiar with the matter said.

TPG also led a $120 million investment round for security startup Tanium last year and was the lead investor in a $100 million funding round in internet security firm Zscaler.

[Source:- gadgets.ndtv]

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TPG Said to Be Among Possible Bidders for Intel Security Unit McAfee

by Rajdeep
written by Rajdeep

TPG Said to Be Among Possible Bidders for Intel Security Unit McAfee

TPG is among potential bidders for Intel Corp.’s computer-security unit McAfee, people with knowledge of the matter said.

The private equity firm has held preliminary discussions with Intel about a deal that could value McAfee at as much as $3 billion, said the people, who asked not to be named because the process is private. Intel is also talking to other potential bidders, including buyout firms and corporate suitors, they said.

Talks are at an early stage and Intel may choose not to sell the business, the people said. The chipmaker hasn’t hired banks to run a formal sale process, they said.

Some buyout firms that had shown preliminary interest in McAfee, including Permira Holdings and Thoma Bravo, are not currently actively pursuing the unit, the people said. The potential suitors were put off by slower-than-expected growth of the business and a lack of obvious cost reductions, two of the people said.

Representatives for TPG, Intel and Thoma Bravo declined to comment. A spokeswoman for Permira didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Intel is considering offloading the anti-virus software unit as part of a strategy to focus on its more profitable data-center business. The Santa Clara, California-based chipmaker acquired McAfee in 2011 for $7.7 billion (roughly Rs. 51,467 crores) to build security features directly into its silicon products.

[Source:- gadgets.ndtv]

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