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 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.

III. 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.

IV. DETECTION

iDefense confirmed the existence of this vulnerability in Symantec Scan
Engine 5.1.2. This issue affects both the Windows and Linux builds 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-2008-0308 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
author nor the publisher accepts any liability for any direct,
indirect, or consequential loss or damage arising from use of, or
reliance on, this information.