CVE-2014-9228 in Endpoint Protection
Summary
by MITRE
sysplant.sys in the Manager component in Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) before 12.1.6 allows local users to cause a denial of service (blocked system shutdown) by triggering an unspecified deadlock condition.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/21/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-9228 affects the sysplant.sys driver component within Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager, specifically impacting versions prior to 12.1.6. This issue represents a critical local privilege escalation vector that enables attackers with low-privilege access to disrupt system operations through a carefully crafted deadlock condition. The vulnerability resides in the kernel-mode driver responsible for managing system-level operations, making it particularly dangerous as it operates at the core of the operating system's security framework. The affected sysplant.sys driver is part of the broader Symantec Endpoint Protection suite that provides comprehensive endpoint security solutions including antivirus protection, firewall capabilities, and intrusion prevention mechanisms.
The technical flaw manifests through an unspecified deadlock condition that occurs when the sysplant.sys driver processes certain system shutdown requests or resource management operations. This deadlock condition specifically impacts the system shutdown process, causing the operating system to become unresponsive and effectively blocking the completion of shutdown procedures. The vulnerability stems from improper synchronization mechanisms within the driver code, where concurrent access to shared resources or critical sections creates scenarios where threads become indefinitely blocked waiting for resources that will never become available. This type of issue typically falls under the CWE-362 category of Concurrency Issues, specifically involving race conditions and deadlock scenarios that can be exploited to cause system instability. The deadlock condition can be triggered through legitimate system operations that the driver processes, making it particularly challenging to detect and prevent without proper system monitoring and patching protocols.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service, as it can severely compromise system availability and reliability within enterprise environments that depend on Symantec Endpoint Protection for security management. When a system shutdown becomes blocked due to this vulnerability, it can prevent scheduled maintenance operations, emergency shutdowns during security incidents, or routine system updates that require system restarts. The implications are particularly severe in mission-critical environments where system uptime and controlled shutdown procedures are essential for maintaining business continuity. Organizations using affected versions of Symantec Endpoint Protection may experience cascading failures when multiple systems are affected, as the blocking of shutdown procedures can prevent proper system maintenance and updates. This vulnerability also represents a potential indicator of broader code quality issues within the driver component, suggesting that similar concurrency problems may exist elsewhere in the system.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-9228 primarily focus on immediate patch deployment to update Symantec Endpoint Protection to version 12.1.6 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the deadlock condition. System administrators should prioritize this patch deployment across all affected systems, particularly those running older versions of Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager. Additional defensive measures include implementing strict access controls to prevent unauthorized local access to systems running affected software, as well as establishing monitoring procedures to detect unusual system behavior that might indicate deadlock conditions. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper driver code review and concurrency testing, particularly for kernel-mode components that handle critical system operations. Organizations should also consider implementing system hardening practices that limit the attack surface for local privilege escalation opportunities, as this vulnerability could potentially be leveraged as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks. From an operational security perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which involves the use of local privilege escalation techniques, and represents a clear example of how driver-level vulnerabilities can be exploited to gain control over system shutdown processes and potentially disrupt business operations.