CVE-2019-12752 in SONAR
Summary
by MITRE
The Symantec SONAR component, prior to 12.0.2, may be susceptible to a tamper protection bypass vulnerability which could potentially allow an attacker to circumvent the existing tamper protection in use on the resident system.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/02/2019
The Symantec SONAR component represents a critical security feature designed to protect endpoints from malicious activities through tamper protection mechanisms that prevent unauthorized modifications to security software. This vulnerability affects versions prior to 12.0.2 and specifically targets the tamper protection functionality that is essential for maintaining the integrity of security solutions. The flaw allows attackers to bypass existing protection measures that are meant to prevent modification or removal of security components, creating a significant risk for systems that rely on SONAR for endpoint protection. The vulnerability falls under the category of access control bypass issues and can be classified as a weakness in the security architecture of the protection system.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation mechanisms within the SONAR component that fails to properly verify the integrity of security processes and prevent unauthorized modifications. Attackers can exploit this weakness to disable or circumvent the tamper protection features that are designed to detect and prevent modifications to security software. This bypass capability allows malicious actors to remove or alter security components without triggering the appropriate alerts or protection mechanisms. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it undermines the fundamental security premise of endpoint protection systems that rely on tamper resistance to maintain their effectiveness. The flaw demonstrates a failure in the security model where the system does not adequately enforce protection boundaries for its own critical components.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation to encompass complete compromise of endpoint security. Systems running affected versions of SONAR become vulnerable to attacks that could lead to full system compromise, as attackers can remove or modify security software to gain persistent access to the system. This vulnerability creates an attack vector that allows adversaries to bypass multiple layers of security protection, potentially enabling data exfiltration, lateral movement, or installation of additional malware. The threat landscape is further complicated by the fact that this vulnerability affects the core protection mechanisms rather than just the application itself, meaning that even if other security measures are in place, the tamper protection bypass could render them ineffective. This vulnerability aligns with attack patterns identified in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1070.004 technique for "Indicator Removal on Host" and T1566.001 for "Phishing: Spearphishing Attachment", as it enables attackers to remove security indicators and maintain persistence.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies that include deploying the patched version 12.0.2 or later of the SONAR component to address this vulnerability. System administrators should conduct comprehensive assessments to identify all affected systems and ensure that the update is properly applied across all endpoints. Additional defensive measures should include monitoring for suspicious activities that might indicate attempts to exploit this vulnerability, such as unusual modifications to security software or unauthorized access attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing additional controls to detect and prevent exploitation attempts, including network monitoring for suspicious behavior and endpoint detection and response capabilities. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security software and demonstrates the critical need for regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar weaknesses in endpoint protection systems. This issue also underscores the necessity of following security best practices as outlined in the CWE database under the category of CWE-284 for "Improper Access Control" and CWE-310 for "Cryptographic Issues" which may be relevant to the implementation of proper tamper protection mechanisms.