iDefense Security Advisory 02.26.08
http://labs.idefense.com/intelligence/vulnerabilities/
Feb 26, 2008

I. BACKGROUND

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.
More information is available on the vendor's site at the following
URL.

http://www.symantec.com/enterprise/products/overview.jsp?pcid=1008&pvid=836_1

II. DESCRIPTION

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.

III. 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.

IV. DETECTION

iDefense has confirmed this vulnerability in the Linux build of the
Symantec Scan Engine version 5.1.2. This issue does not affect the
Windows build of the product. Previous versions are suspected to be
vulnerable.

V. WORKAROUND

iDefense is currently unaware of any workaround for this issue.

VI. 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

VII. CVE INFORMATION

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) project has assigned the
name CVE-2008-0309 to this issue. This is a candidate for inclusion in
the CVE list (http://cve.mitre.org/), which standardizes names for
security problems.

VIII. DISCLOSURE TIMELINE

06/14/2007  Initial vendor notification
06/14/2007  Initial vendor response
02/26/2008  Coordinated public disclosure

IX. CREDIT

The discoverer of this vulnerability wishes to remain anonymous.

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X. LEGAL NOTICES

Copyright © 2008 iDefense, Inc.

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Disclaimer: The information in the advisory is believed to be accurate
at the time of publishing based on currently available information. Use
of the information constitutes acceptance for use in an AS IS condition.
 There are no warranties with regard to this information. Neither the
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