CVE-2016-5308 in Norton Antivirus
Summary
by MITRE
The Client Intrusion Detection System (CIDS) driver before 15.0.6 in Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) and before 15.1.2 in Norton Security allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and system crash) via a malformed Portable Executable (PE) file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/27/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-5308 affects the Client Intrusion Detection System driver component within Symantec Endpoint Protection and Norton Security products. This flaw exists in versions prior to 15.0.6 for SEP and 15.1.2 for Norton Security, representing a critical security weakness that can be exploited remotely by attackers. The vulnerability specifically targets the PE file parsing functionality within the CIDS driver, which is designed to monitor and analyze executable files for potential security threats. When a malformed PE file is processed by the vulnerable driver, it triggers memory corruption that ultimately leads to system instability and complete system crashes, effectively creating a denial of service condition that can disrupt normal operations for affected systems.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in insufficient input validation within the CIDS driver's PE file parsing logic. When the driver encounters a malformed PE file structure, it fails to properly validate the file headers and executable sections before attempting to process them in memory. This lack of proper bounds checking and input sanitization creates an exploitable condition where attacker-controlled data can cause the driver to access invalid memory locations or manipulate memory structures beyond their intended boundaries. The vulnerability manifests as a memory corruption issue that can be triggered through a specially crafted PE file that contains malformed headers, incorrect section offsets, or other structural anomalies that the driver's parsing routines cannot handle gracefully. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read and CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write, which are common categories for memory corruption vulnerabilities in system drivers.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-5308 is significant and multifaceted, affecting both availability and system stability across enterprise environments that rely on Symantec's security solutions. Remote attackers can leverage this vulnerability to systematically disrupt security operations by causing targeted systems to crash, potentially leading to service interruptions and loss of security monitoring capabilities. In enterprise networks where SEP or Norton Security is deployed across multiple endpoints, a successful exploitation could result in cascading failures that compromise the overall security posture. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it allows remote code execution through a denial of service vector, meaning attackers could potentially use it as a stepping stone for more sophisticated attacks or to create persistent disruption. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability represents a critical weakness in endpoint security products that are designed to protect against such threats, creating a paradoxical situation where the security solution itself becomes a potential attack vector.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-5308 should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems to versions 15.0.6 or later for SEP and 15.1.2 or later for Norton Security, as these releases contain the necessary code fixes to address the memory corruption issues. Organizations should also implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts through malformed PE file traffic, particularly in environments where these security products are deployed. The vulnerability can be addressed through standard vulnerability management procedures, including assessment of affected systems, prioritization of patch deployment, and verification of successful updates. From a defensive standpoint, implementing additional network segmentation and access controls can help limit the potential impact of exploitation attempts, while maintaining detailed logging and monitoring of security product activities can help detect anomalous behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004: Endpoint Denial of Service, which focuses on techniques that disrupt endpoint systems through resource exhaustion or system instability. Organizations should also consider implementing application whitelisting policies to prevent execution of untrusted PE files and reduce the attack surface for such vulnerabilities. The remediation process should include thorough testing of patches in controlled environments before widespread deployment to ensure compatibility with existing security configurations and prevent unintended side effects on security monitoring capabilities.