CVE-2002-0485 in Norton Antivirus
Summary
by MITRE
Norton Anti-Virus (NAV) allows remote attackers to bypass content filtering via attachments whose Content-Type and Content-Disposition headers are mixed upper and lower case, which is ignored by some mail clients.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/16/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2002-0485 represents a significant security flaw in Norton Anti-Virus 2002 and earlier versions that specifically affects email content filtering mechanisms. This issue arises from the software's inadequate handling of email header case sensitivity, creating a pathway for malicious actors to circumvent security controls through carefully crafted email attachments. The flaw demonstrates a classic case of improper input validation where the antivirus solution fails to properly normalize or standardize header information before processing email content, allowing attackers to exploit this weakness to deliver potentially harmful attachments that would otherwise be blocked.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the way Norton Anti-Virus processes email headers during content filtering operations. When email clients receive messages with attachments, they typically parse Content-Type and Content-Disposition headers to determine how to handle the attachment. The vulnerability occurs because NAV does not consistently normalize header case variations, treating uppercase and lowercase header values as equivalent when they should be processed uniformly. This inconsistency creates an opportunity for attackers to manipulate email headers by mixing case variations in the Content-Type and Content-Disposition fields, effectively bypassing the antivirus's filtering logic that relies on proper header parsing. The issue is particularly concerning because it exploits a fundamental weakness in the security software's parsing mechanism rather than targeting the antivirus engine itself.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple bypass of content filtering, as it represents a critical failure in email security controls that could lead to successful delivery of malicious payloads. Attackers can leverage this weakness to send phishing emails, malware attachments, or other malicious content that would normally be rejected by the antivirus system. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on Norton Anti-Virus for email security, potentially exposing them to increased risk of malware infections, data breaches, and other security incidents. This type of attack demonstrates the importance of robust input validation and the potential for seemingly minor implementation flaws to create significant security vulnerabilities in enterprise security solutions.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement patches provided by Symantec, as the issue relates to a known weakness in the software's header processing logic that can be exploited remotely. The recommended mitigation involves updating to the latest version of Norton Anti-Virus that addresses this specific case sensitivity handling problem. Additionally, security teams should consider implementing additional email security layers such as spam filtering, content inspection, and attachment scanning that operate independently of the primary antivirus solution. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-1606, which addresses improper handling of case sensitivity in header parsing, and represents a technique that could be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1192, related to Spearphishing Attachments, where attackers exploit security controls through header manipulation. Organizations should also consider implementing email security policies that enforce consistent header formatting and monitor for unusual header variations that might indicate attempts to exploit similar vulnerabilities.