CVE-2004-2442: Multiple interpretation error in various F-Secure Anti-Virus products, including Workstation 5.43 and earli...

Security readout for executives and security teams

This CVE is an antivirus bypass in older F-Secure products. A specially formed compressed file could avoid antivirus protection while still opening on the target system. The business risk is missed malware detection, especially where these products were used on mail gateways, file gateways, servers, or workstations. Exposure is likely limited to legacy F-Secure deployments: Workstation 5.43 and earlier, Windows Servers 5.50 and earlier, MIMEsweeper 5.50 and earlier, Linux Servers and Gateways 4.61 and earlier, and other cited products. Modern exposure depends on whether these products remain deployed or embedded. Prioritize if legacy F-Secure products still sit in email, web, file-transfer, or endpoint protection paths. If no affected versions remain, this is mainly a historical record. The key executive question is whether any unsupported antivirus layer is still trusted for malware blocking. Mitigation focus: Inventory F-Secure antivirus, gateway, and MIMEsweeper deployments for affected legacy versions.; Check F-Secure advisory FSC-2004-3 or vendor support for approved fixed versions.; Retire or replace unsupported affected products according to vendor guidance..

Prepared

Jun 29, 2026, 18:28 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.