Symantec Scan Engine is a standalone Anti-Virus Engine that exposes a scanning Application Programming Interface (API) directly to developers who wish to integrate protection into their own custom applications. Two vulnerabilities revolving around handling of RAR files have been discovered in Symantec Scan Engine.
Vulnerable Systems:
* Symantec Scan Engine version 5.1.2
Symantec Scan Engine RAR File Buffer Overflow Vulnerability
Remote exploitation of a stack based buffer overflow vulnerability in Symantec Scan Engine version 5.1.2 could allow an unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the scan engine process.
Symantec Scan Engine listens on TCP port 1344 to accept files for scanning using the Internet Content Adaptation Protocol (ICAP). If the service is sent a specially malformed RAR file, a stack-based buffer overflow will occur.
Analysis:
Exploitation allows remote unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the scan engine process. The scan engine can be configured to run either as a normal user or as root. In order to exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must be able to cause a malicious RAR file to be scanned by the Symantec Scan Engine. Normally, no authentication is required to reach the vulnerable code.
Vendor response:
Symantec has addressed this vulnerability by releasing updates for various versions of the Symantec Scan Engine. For more information, refer to their advisory at the following URL: http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/security/Content/2008.02.27.html
Symantec Scan Engine RAR File Denial of Service Vulnerability
Remote exploitation of a Denial of Service vulnerability in Symantec Scan Engine version 5.1.2 could allow an unauthenticated attacker to create a denial of service (DoS) condition.
Symantec Scan Engine listens on TCP port 1344 to accept files for scanning using the Internet Content Adaptation Protocol (ICAP). If the service is sent a malformed RAR file, the service will consume massive amounts of memory. This can result in a denial of service condition for the application and operating system.
Analysis:
Exploitation allows remote unauthenticated attackers to cause the process to consume excessive amounts memory. In order to exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must be able to cause a malicious RAR file to be scanned by the Symantec Scan Engine. Normally, no authentication is required to reach the vulnerable code.
Vendor response:
Symantec has addressed this vulnerability by releasing updates for various versions of the Symantec Scan Engine. For more information, refer to their advisory at the following URL: http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/security/Content/2008.02.27.html
