CVE-2014-1647 in Encryption Desktop
Summary
by MITRE
Symantec PGP Desktop 10.0.x through 10.2.x and Encryption Desktop Professional 10.3.x before 10.3.2 MP1 do not properly perform block-data moves, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (read access violation and application crash) via a malformed certificate.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/11/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-1647 affects Symantec PGP Desktop versions 10.0.x through 10.2.x and Encryption Desktop Professional 10.3.x before 10.3.2 MP1, representing a critical flaw in the cryptographic software's certificate handling mechanisms. This issue stems from improper block-data move operations within the application's memory management system, creating a condition where malformed certificate data can trigger unexpected behavior in the software's processing pipeline. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the application attempts to move or copy memory blocks containing certificate data, leading to memory corruption that results in application instability. The flaw operates at the memory management level, where the software fails to properly validate or sanitize certificate data before performing data movement operations, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit the system's memory handling routines.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the application's failure to properly handle memory block transfers when processing certificate objects, particularly when these certificates contain malformed or unexpected data structures. When a remote attacker crafts a specially designed certificate that contains irregular data patterns or violates expected certificate format specifications, the PGP Desktop application's memory management subsystem becomes compromised during the block-data move operations. This improper handling leads to read access violations that occur when the application attempts to access memory locations that have been corrupted or improperly moved during the certificate processing cycle. The resulting memory access violation causes the application to crash immediately, effectively creating a denial of service condition that prevents legitimate users from accessing the encryption functionality.
The operational impact of CVE-2014-1647 extends beyond simple application availability concerns, as it represents a fundamental flaw in how the software manages memory during certificate processing operations. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to systematically disrupt business operations by sending malformed certificates to systems running affected PGP Desktop versions, causing repeated application crashes and rendering the encryption services unavailable. This denial of service condition affects not only individual users but also organizational security infrastructure that relies on PGP Desktop for email and file encryption. The vulnerability's remote exploitation capability means that attackers do not need physical access to the target system, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where certificate-based authentication and encryption services are widely deployed.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should prioritize immediate remediation through the application of Symantec's official patch release for version 10.3.2 MP1, which specifically addresses the memory management issues in block-data move operations. System administrators should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all instances of affected software versions within their networks and implement mandatory update policies to ensure complete remediation. Additionally, network monitoring solutions should be configured to detect and alert on suspicious certificate processing activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a memory safety issue that can be categorized under the ATT&CK technique T1499.002 for network denial of service attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing certificate validation policies that include strict format checking and data sanitization procedures to reduce the attack surface for similar memory corruption vulnerabilities in other cryptographic applications.