CVE-2002-0663 in Norton Internet Security
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in HTTP Proxy for Symantec Norton Personal Internet Firewall 3.0.4.91 and Norton Internet Security 2001 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service and possibly execute arbitrary code via a large outgoing HTTP request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/12/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2002-0663 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the HTTP proxy component of Symantec Norton Personal Internet Firewall version 3.0.4.91 and Norton Internet Security 2001 products. This vulnerability exists in the handling of outgoing HTTP requests, where the software fails to properly validate the size of incoming data before processing it through internal buffers. The flaw stems from inadequate input sanitization mechanisms that allow malicious actors to craft specially crafted HTTP requests exceeding the allocated buffer space, leading to memory corruption conditions. The buffer overflow occurs when the proxy component attempts to process HTTP headers or request bodies that exceed predetermined memory limits, causing the program to overwrite adjacent memory locations.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-121 Stack-based Buffer Overflow, where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite stack memory regions containing return addresses, function pointers, or other critical control data. The attack vector operates remotely through network connections, requiring no authentication or local access to the vulnerable system. Attackers can construct HTTP requests with oversized headers or content that triggers the buffer overflow condition when processed by the proxy component. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially enabling arbitrary code execution, as memory corruption can be leveraged to redirect program execution flow or inject malicious code into the target system's memory space.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for organizations relying on Symantec Norton security products, as it allows remote attackers to compromise system integrity and availability. The denial of service aspect can render the affected firewall proxy component completely non-functional, potentially leaving systems exposed to network threats while the service remains unavailable. The potential for arbitrary code execution presents a more severe threat, as successful exploitation could provide attackers with elevated privileges on the compromised system, enabling further lateral movement within networks or persistence mechanisms. This vulnerability directly impacts the core security functionality of the affected products, undermining their primary purpose of protecting networked systems from external threats.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should include immediate patching of affected systems with Symantec's security updates, which would address the buffer overflow through proper input validation and memory management. Network administrators should implement additional monitoring and intrusion detection measures to identify suspicious HTTP traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Configuration changes to limit HTTP request sizes and implement more robust input validation within the proxy component can serve as temporary workarounds while permanent patches are deployed. The vulnerability's classification aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which describes the use of malformed data to cause denial of service or execute malicious code, and demonstrates how legacy security products can contain critical flaws that persist across multiple versions. Organizations should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify other potential buffer overflow conditions within their security infrastructure and ensure proper input validation mechanisms are in place across all network components.