CVE-2008-0308 in Symantec Antivirus Scan Engine
Summary
by MITRE
Symantec Decomposer, as used in certain Symantec antivirus products including Symantec Scan Engine 5.1.2 and other versions before 5.1.6.31, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via a malformed RAR file to the Internet Content Adaptation Protocol (ICAP) port (1344/tcp).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/06/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-0308 represents a critical denial of service weakness in Symantec's Decomposer component, which forms part of several antivirus products including the Scan Engine 5.1.2 and earlier versions. This flaw specifically targets the Internet Content Adaptation Protocol implementation within Symantec's security infrastructure, creating a pathway for remote attackers to exploit memory consumption issues through crafted malicious files. The vulnerability manifests when the system processes malformed RAR archives through the designated ICAP port, which operates on TCP port 1344, a standard communication channel used for content adaptation services in network security appliances.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the improper handling of malformed RAR file structures within the Decomposer module. When a specially crafted RAR archive is transmitted to the ICAP port, the system fails to properly validate or sanitize the file format before attempting to decompress or analyze its contents. This processing error leads to excessive memory allocation and consumption patterns that can eventually exhaust available system resources, causing the affected service to become unresponsive or crash entirely. The flaw demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-400, which encompasses improper resource management issues, and specifically relates to memory exhaustion conditions that can be triggered through malformed input processing.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it can affect critical network security infrastructure that relies on Symantec's content filtering capabilities. Organizations using affected versions of Symantec Scan Engine may experience unauthorized denial of service attacks that can compromise network availability and potentially disrupt legitimate security operations. Attackers can leverage this weakness to target network security appliances, web proxies, or content filtering systems that utilize the ICAP protocol, creating opportunities for broader network disruption. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers do not require physical access or local credentials to trigger the memory exhaustion condition, making it particularly dangerous in networked environments.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate patch deployment to versions 5.1.6.31 and later, which contain the necessary fixes for proper RAR file validation and memory management. System administrators should also implement network-level controls to restrict access to the ICAP port 1344 from untrusted networks, and consider implementing additional monitoring for unusual memory consumption patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running affected Symantec products and establish incident response procedures for potential exploitation. The remediation process should align with standard cybersecurity practices outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and should include network segmentation to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts, as detailed in the ATT&CK framework's methodology for network service disruption tactics.