CVE-2016-5311 in Norton Security
Summary
by MITRE
A Privilege Escalation vulnerability exists in Symantec Norton Antivirus, Norton AntiVirus with Backup, Norton Security, Norton Security with Backup, Norton Internet Security, Norton 360, Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition Cloud, and Endpoint Protection Cloud Client due to a DLL-preloading without path restrictions, which could let a local malicious user obtain system privileges.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/04/2022
This privilege escalation vulnerability in Symantec Norton antivirus products stems from a critical design flaw in how the software handles dynamic link library loading operations. The vulnerability manifests as a DLL preloading issue without proper path restrictions, creating an exploitable condition that allows local attackers to inject malicious code into the system. The flaw exists across multiple Symantec security products including Norton Antivirus, Norton Security, Norton Internet Security, Norton 360, and various endpoint protection variants, indicating a widespread software architecture weakness that affects the entire product ecosystem.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the improper handling of dynamic library loading sequences where the software does not enforce strict path validation during DLL resolution. When legitimate applications attempt to load required libraries, the system searches through a predefined set of directories in a specific order without adequately restricting the search paths. This creates an opportunity for malicious actors to place specially crafted malicious DLL files in directories that are searched before the legitimate system directories, allowing the attacker's code to execute with the privileges of the target application. This weakness directly maps to CWE-427 Uncontrolled Search Path Element, which specifically addresses the issue of insecure library loading mechanisms that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it provides a local attacker with the ability to escalate privileges to system level access without requiring any special authentication or external network connectivity. Once an attacker gains initial access to a system, they can leverage this vulnerability to execute malicious code with elevated privileges, potentially leading to complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or establishment of persistent backdoors. The vulnerability affects enterprise environments where these security products are deployed, creating a significant risk as attackers can exploit the trust relationship between the legitimate security software and the operating system. This type of attack aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 Privilege Escalation through exploitation of software vulnerabilities, where attackers leverage application flaws to gain higher privileges.
The exploitation of this vulnerability requires a local attacker with basic user-level access to the system, making it particularly dangerous in environments where user accounts have elevated privileges or where users frequently interact with security software. Organizations deploying Symantec Norton products across their networks face a critical risk as this vulnerability can be exploited to bypass security controls that the software is designed to provide. The widespread deployment of affected products across different security suites and endpoint protection variants means that the attack surface is extensive, potentially affecting thousands of systems in enterprise environments. Security professionals should consider implementing additional monitoring and access controls to detect potential exploitation attempts, while the affected organizations must urgently apply vendor-provided patches to address this critical vulnerability. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of secure coding practices and proper input validation in security software development, as these products are expected to maintain security boundaries even when running with elevated privileges.