CVE-2012-0291 in pcAnywhere
Summary
by MITRE
Symantec pcAnywhere through 12.5.3, Altiris IT Management Suite pcAnywhere Solution 7.0 (aka 12.5.x) and 7.1 (aka 12.6.x), Altiris Client Management Suite pcAnywhere Solution 7.0 (aka 12.5.x) and 7.1 (aka 12.6.x), and Altiris Deployment Solution Remote pcAnywhere Solution 7.1 (aka 12.5.x and 12.6.x) allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash or hang) via (1) malformed data from a client, (2) malformed data from a server, or (3) an invalid response.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/06/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-0291 affects multiple versions of Symantec pcAnywhere and related Altiris solutions, representing a significant denial of service weakness in remote desktop software. This flaw exists within the protocol handling mechanisms of these applications, specifically when processing data exchanges between client and server components. The vulnerability manifests when the software receives malformed input during normal operation, leading to application instability and potential system unresponsiveness. The affected versions include Symantec pcAnywhere through 12.5.3 and various Altiris solutions spanning versions 7.0 and 7.1 across multiple release streams, indicating this was a widespread issue affecting enterprise remote access solutions. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-129 as an improper validation of array index, reflecting the core issue of insufficient input sanitization during data processing operations.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through three distinct vectors that all lead to the same outcome of application instability. Attackers can trigger the flaw by sending malformed data packets from either client or server components, or by providing invalid responses during normal communication sequences. These malformed inputs are processed without proper validation checks, causing the application to crash or become unresponsive during normal operation. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with memory corruption issues where improper input handling leads to application termination. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability represents a critical risk to enterprise environments that rely on remote access capabilities for system administration and support functions.
The impact of this denial of service vulnerability extends beyond simple application disruption to potentially compromise business continuity and system availability. Organizations using these remote access solutions may experience unexpected service interruptions during critical support operations, potentially affecting hundreds or thousands of users depending on the scale of deployment. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication, making it accessible to any attacker with network access to the affected systems. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks, representing a specific implementation of service disruption through protocol manipulation. The affected applications are commonly used in enterprise environments for remote system management, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for organizations that depend on continuous access to critical systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-0291 should prioritize immediate patch deployment from Symantec and Altiris, as these vendors have released updates addressing the input validation issues. Organizations should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of affected systems to untrusted networks. Additional defensive measures include monitoring network traffic for malformed packets and implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify unusual protocol behavior. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper input validation and bounds checking in network protocols, principles that align with security standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten. Organizations should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of affected software and ensure proper patch management procedures are in place. The remediation process should also include network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures for handling denial of service events.