CVE-2008-3703 in Veritas Storage Foundation
Summary
by MITRE
The management console in the Volume Manager Scheduler Service (aka VxSchedService.exe) in Symantec Veritas Storage Foundation for Windows (SFW) 5.0, 5.0 RP1a, and 5.1 accepts NULL NTLMSSP authentication, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via requests to the service socket that create "snapshots schedules" registry values specifying future command execution. NOTE: this issue exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2007-2279.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/26/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-3703 represents a critical security flaw within Symantec Veritas Storage Foundation for Windows management console, specifically affecting versions 5.0, 5.0 RP1a, and 5.1. This issue resides in the Volume Manager Scheduler Service component known as VxSchedService.exe, which handles scheduling operations for storage management tasks. The vulnerability stems from an incomplete remediation of a previous flaw identified as CVE-2007-2279, creating a persistent security weakness that attackers can exploit to gain unauthorized system access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the management console's acceptance of NULL NTLMSSP authentication, a mechanism that allows authentication without proper credentials. This weakness enables remote attackers to establish connections to the service socket without legitimate authentication, effectively bypassing normal security controls. When attackers send specially crafted requests to the service socket, they can manipulate the system to create snapshot schedule registry values that contain malicious command execution instructions. This design flaw allows for arbitrary code execution on the target system, as the service processes these registry entries without proper validation or authorization checks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching within enterprise storage environments. Attackers can leverage this weakness to execute arbitrary commands on systems running affected Symantec Veritas Storage Foundation versions, potentially gaining full system control. The ability to create snapshot schedule registry values provides attackers with persistent access mechanisms, as these scheduled tasks can execute commands at predetermined intervals. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely on Symantec's storage management solutions, as it undermines the fundamental security assumptions of the management interface and creates opportunities for privilege escalation and data compromise.
The flaw aligns with CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication issues in software systems, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1078.001 for valid accounts and T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest Symantec patches and updates, disabling unnecessary network access to the affected service ports, and implementing network segmentation to limit exposure. Additional protective measures include monitoring for suspicious registry modifications and network traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. The incomplete fix for CVE-2007-2279 highlights the importance of thorough vulnerability remediation processes and the potential risks associated with partial security updates that do not fully address underlying architectural flaws.