CVE-2025-7002: Avira Antivirus Engine RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2025-7002 Overview

CVE-2025-7002 is a heap buffer out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the Avira Antivirus engine. The flaw is triggered when the engine scans a malformed PDF file. Successful exploitation can lead to local code execution or denial-of-service of the antivirus engine process.

The issue affects Avira Antivirus on Windows, macOS, and Linux for engine builds before 8.3.70.68. The vulnerability is classified under [CWE-125] (Out-of-bounds Read) and requires user interaction, since the engine must scan an attacker-supplied PDF.

Critical Impact
A malformed PDF parsed by the Avira engine can crash the scanner or enable local code execution within the antivirus process context.

Affected Products

Avira Antivirus engine on Windows (builds before 8.3.70.68)
Avira Antivirus engine on macOS (builds before 8.3.70.68)
Avira Antivirus engine on Linux (builds before 8.3.70.68)

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-12 - CVE-2025-7002 published to NVD
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-7002

Vulnerability Analysis

The Avira Antivirus engine performs static analysis of files during scheduled and on-access scans. PDF parsing requires the engine to walk complex object structures, cross-reference tables, and embedded streams. CVE-2025-7002 occurs when the parser reads memory outside the bounds of a heap-allocated buffer while processing a malformed PDF.

Out-of-bounds reads in scanning engines are dangerous because the antivirus process typically runs with elevated privileges. The same code path that should defend the host becomes the attack surface. An attacker who places a malicious PDF on the file system can trigger the vulnerability the moment the engine scans it.

The impact is twofold. The engine may crash, disabling on-access protection until restart. Alternatively, the out-of-bounds read can expose adjacent heap memory and be combined with other primitives to achieve local code execution within the scanner process.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient bounds validation in the PDF parsing routine. When a crafted PDF object specifies a length, offset, or structure that the parser does not validate against the actual buffer size, the engine reads beyond the allocated region. This is a classic [CWE-125] pattern in file-format parsers.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local. An attacker delivers a malformed PDF to the target system through email attachments, downloads, shared folders, or removable media. User interaction is required because the file must reach a location the engine scans or be opened by the user. Once the engine inspects the file, parsing of the malformed structure triggers the out-of-bounds read.

Verified exploit code is not publicly available, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The EPSS score is 0.131%, indicating low predicted exploitation probability at this time. Technical specifics of the parsing flaw are described in the Gen Digital Security Advisory.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-7002

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected termination or repeated restarts of the Avira engine service or scanner process
Crash dumps referencing the Avira engine module with access violations during PDF scanning
PDF files with malformed cross-reference tables, oversized object streams, or invalid object lengths landing in user directories
Disabled or unresponsive on-access scanning following routine file activity

Detection Strategies

Monitor process termination and exit codes for Avira engine binaries to surface crash patterns indicative of exploitation attempts
Inspect PDF files at rest and in transit using secondary parsers to flag structural anomalies before they reach the antivirus engine
Correlate antivirus service restarts with recent file-write events to identify suspicious files that triggered the crash
Track engine build versions across the fleet and alert on hosts running builds older than 8.3.70.68

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable Windows Error Reporting or equivalent crash telemetry for the Avira engine process and forward to a central log store
Audit endpoint telemetry for repeated failures of the antivirus service, especially clustered in short time windows
Track file-system events writing PDF files to staging locations such as %TEMP%, Downloads, and email attachment caches

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-7002

Immediate Actions Required

Update the Avira Antivirus engine to build 8.3.70.68 or later on all Windows, macOS, and Linux endpoints
Verify engine version after update through the Avira management console or local product UI
Restart endpoints where required to ensure the updated engine module is loaded
Review crash logs for the antivirus process over the past 30 days to identify potential prior exploitation attempts

Patch Information

Gen Digital has released engine build 8.3.70.68 to address CVE-2025-7002. Customers should ensure automatic engine updates are enabled so that the patched build deploys without manual intervention. Refer to the Gen Digital Security Advisory for product-specific update guidance.

Workarounds

Until the patched engine is deployed, restrict scanning of untrusted PDF files by limiting the directories the on-access scanner monitors
Apply mail gateway and web proxy rules to strip or sandbox PDF attachments from untrusted senders
Use application allow-listing to prevent execution of files dropped alongside malicious PDFs in case the engine is compromised

bash

# Verify Avira engine build on Linux endpoints
/opt/avira/scancl --version | grep -i engine
# Expected output should show engine 8.3.70.68 or later