CVE-2002-1775 in Norton Antivirus
Summary
by MITRE
** DISPUTED ** NOTE: this issue has been disputed by the vendor. Symantec Norton AntiVirus (NAV) 2002 allows remote attackers to bypass the initial virus scan and cause NAV to prematurely stop scanning by using a non-RFC compliant MIME header. NOTE: the vendor has disputed this issue, acknowledging that the initial scan is bypassed, but the AutoProtect feature would detect the virus before it is executed.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/08/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2002-1775 represents a significant security flaw in Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2002 that could potentially allow remote attackers to circumvent critical malware detection mechanisms. This issue specifically targets the initial virus scanning process within the antivirus software, creating a window of opportunity for malicious actors to deploy harmful code without immediate detection. The vulnerability stems from the software's handling of email MIME headers, which are standard components used in internet email communication to structure and encode message content. When encountering non-RFC compliant MIME headers, the antivirus system exhibits unexpected behavior that compromises its primary defensive function.
The technical flaw manifests through the improper parsing of MIME headers that do not conform to established internet standards. This non-compliant header processing causes the antivirus software to prematurely terminate its initial scanning routine before thoroughly examining the email content for potential threats. The vulnerability operates at the application layer of the network stack, specifically targeting the email scanning functionality within the Norton AntiVirus client. According to the vulnerability description, this issue creates a race condition where the initial scan is bypassed, allowing malicious payloads to pass through undetected. The behavior aligns with CWE-129, which addresses improper validation of input data, and represents a classic case of insufficient input sanitization that can lead to security bypass mechanisms.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability poses substantial risk to organizations relying on Norton AntiVirus 2002 for email security protection. The ability to bypass the initial scan means that malware could be delivered to user systems without triggering immediate alerts or quarantine measures, potentially allowing for widespread infection before security measures are activated. The threat landscape of 2002 was particularly concerning as email-based attacks were becoming increasingly sophisticated, and this vulnerability could have enabled attackers to exploit the gap between email reception and malware detection. The impact extends beyond simple virus delivery, as it undermines the fundamental trust users place in antivirus software to provide comprehensive protection against email-borne threats. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of robust input validation and proper error handling in security applications, as the failure to properly process standard email formats can result in complete bypass of protective measures.
The vendor's response to this vulnerability is noteworthy as it acknowledges the specific issue with the initial scan bypass while asserting that the AutoProtect feature would ultimately detect the malware before execution. This acknowledgment suggests that while the initial scanning mechanism has a flaw, the overall security architecture still provides adequate protection through secondary defense layers. However, this response also highlights the inherent risks of relying on layered security approaches where a single point of failure in one layer could potentially compromise the entire defensive strategy. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers phishing and social engineering attacks, demonstrates how this flaw could be exploited as part of broader attack campaigns targeting email systems. Organizations should recognize that even acknowledged vulnerabilities can represent significant risks, particularly when they affect core security functions like initial malware detection, and should consider the potential for attackers to exploit such weaknesses in combination with other attack vectors. The incident underscores the importance of comprehensive security testing and validation of input processing mechanisms in security software to prevent such bypass scenarios from occurring in production environments.