CVE-2004-0369 in Symantec
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in Entrust LibKmp ISAKMP library, as used by Symantec Enterprise Firewall 7.0 through 8.0, Gateway Security 5300 1.0, Gateway Security 5400 2.0, and VelociRaptor 1.5, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted ISAKMP payload.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/09/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-0369 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the Entrust LibKmp ISAKMP library implementation that was widely adopted by several enterprise security products including Symantec Enterprise Firewall versions 7.0 through 8.0, Gateway Security 5300 version 1.0, Gateway Security 5400 version 2.0, and VelociRaptor 1.5. This vulnerability resides in the Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol (ISAKMP) processing functionality that governs secure key exchange and security association establishment in IPsec implementations. The flaw manifests when the library processes incoming ISAKMP packets that contain malformed or oversized payloads, creating an exploitable condition where attacker-controlled data can overwrite adjacent memory locations beyond the allocated buffer boundaries. This specific vulnerability maps to CWE-121, which categorizes buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows memory corruption, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and control through remote code execution capabilities.
The technical exploitation of this buffer overflow occurs when remote attackers craft specially designed ISAKMP packets that exceed the expected buffer size allocated for processing incoming security associations. The ISAKMP protocol operates at layer 3 of the network stack and is responsible for establishing and maintaining security associations between communicating parties in IPsec environments. When the vulnerable library receives a crafted payload, it fails to properly validate the length of incoming data before copying it into fixed-size memory buffers, allowing attackers to overwrite critical memory locations including return addresses, function pointers, and other control data structures. This memory corruption can be leveraged to redirect program execution flow to attacker-controlled code, effectively enabling remote code execution with the privileges of the affected service process. The vulnerability affects implementations that rely on the Entrust LibKmp library for ISAKMP processing, making it particularly dangerous for network security infrastructure components that handle authentication and key management traffic.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple remote code execution to encompass complete system compromise and potential network infiltration. Organizations deploying affected security appliances become vulnerable to sophisticated attacks where adversaries can establish persistent backdoors, escalate privileges, and potentially use compromised devices as launch points for lateral movement within corporate networks. The vulnerability affects critical security infrastructure components that typically operate with elevated privileges and maintain persistent network connections, making successful exploitation particularly devastating. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to sensitive network traffic, bypass security controls, and potentially access confidential data that these appliances are designed to protect. The widespread adoption of these specific Symantec and Entrust products across enterprise environments meant that a single exploit could potentially compromise multiple security devices within an organization, creating cascading security failures that would be difficult to contain and remediate.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2004-0369 should focus on immediate patch application from vendors, network segmentation to limit exposure, and implementation of intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious ISAKMP traffic patterns. Organizations should prioritize updating their affected security appliances to versions that include patches addressing the buffer overflow in the Entrust LibKmp library, which typically involved implementing proper input validation and bounds checking mechanisms. Network administrators should consider implementing firewall rules that restrict ISAKMP traffic to only trusted sources and monitor for anomalous packet sizes or malformed ISAKMP exchanges that could indicate exploitation attempts. The remediation process should also include disabling unnecessary ISAKMP services where possible and implementing strict access controls for security appliances. From a defensive perspective, security teams should establish monitoring procedures for detecting unusual authentication patterns or unexpected service behavior that could indicate exploitation, as the vulnerability could be used to establish covert communication channels that bypass traditional security controls. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date security infrastructure and highlights the need for thorough security testing of third-party libraries used in mission-critical network security applications.