CVE-2011-3477 in Backup Exec System Recovery
Summary
by MITRE
GEAR Software CD DVD Filter driver (aka GEARAspiWDM.sys), as used in Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery 8.5 and BESR 2010, Symantec System Recovery 2011, Norton 360, and Norton Ghost, allows local users to cause a denial of service (system crash) via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/06/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3477 affects the GEAR Software CD DVD Filter driver component, specifically the GEARAspiWDM.sys file, which is integrated into several Symantec backup and recovery products including Backup Exec System Recovery 8.5, BESR 2010, Symantec System Recovery 2011, Norton 360, and Norton Ghost. This driver serves as a critical interface between the operating system and optical storage devices, facilitating data backup and recovery operations. The flaw resides within the kernel-mode driver implementation where insufficient input validation and memory management practices create opportunities for exploitation that can result in system instability.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper handling of input parameters within the driver's kernel space code execution environment. When local users submit malformed or unexpected input data through the driver interface, the system fails to properly validate these inputs before processing them, leading to memory corruption conditions. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write conditions. The driver's failure to implement robust boundary checks and input sanitization creates a pathway for attackers to trigger buffer overflows or other memory corruption scenarios that ultimately result in system crashes.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to enterprise environments that rely on Symantec backup solutions for critical data protection operations. The local privilege escalation aspect means that any user with access to the system can potentially trigger a denial of service condition, effectively rendering the backup and recovery functionality unavailable. This impacts not only the immediate availability of backup services but can also compromise the integrity of backup operations, as system crashes during backup processes may result in corrupted backup images. The vulnerability's presence in widely deployed products like Norton 360 and Norton Ghost amplifies its potential impact across both enterprise and consumer environments.
The attack surface for this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service, as it represents a potential entry point for more sophisticated exploitation techniques. Security researchers have identified that similar vulnerabilities in kernel drivers often serve as stepping stones for privilege escalation attacks, with the potential to transition from user-mode to kernel-mode execution. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers 'Local Privilege Escalation', and T1547, covering 'Registry Run Keys / Startup Folder'. Organizations should consider this vulnerability as part of a broader security posture assessment, particularly when evaluating systems that may be subject to insider threats or compromised user accounts.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-3477 should focus on immediate patching of affected Symantec products, as the vendor has released updates to address the driver-level issues. System administrators should implement the latest security patches for all affected versions of Symantec backup and recovery software, particularly those that include updated versions of the GEARAspiWDM.sys driver. Additionally, implementing network segmentation and access controls can help limit the potential impact of local exploitation, while monitoring for unusual system crashes or backup service disruptions can aid in early detection of exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider disabling unnecessary optical drive functionality when it's not required for backup operations, as this reduces the attack surface for potential exploitation of driver-level vulnerabilities.