Revision History
4/14/2008 Revised Affected/Not Affected Products tables for additional clarification
4/29/2008 Added SMS for Exchange 5.0.10.382 to the solution matrix for Affected ProductsSeverity
Medium for Symantec Mail Security (SMS) for Domino and Microsoft Exchange
Low for SMS for SMTP and SMS Appliance
NOTE: SMS for SMTP and Appliance already run the Autonomy KeyView in an out-of- process isolation (see Symantec Response below) in all currently supported products. This minimizes the impact of this issue against those product versions.
| Remote Access | Yes |
| Local Access | No |
| Authentication Required | No |
| Exploit publicly available | No |
Overview
Multiple buffer overflow vulnerabilities have been identified in the
Autonomy KeyView module used in Symantec’s Mail Security products.
Affected Products
| Product | Version | Solution(s) |
| Symantec Mail Security for Domino | 7.5 | 7.5.3.25 |
| Symantec Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange | 5.0 | 5.0.10.382 |
| Symantec Mail Security for SMTP | 5.0.0 | Upgrade to 5.0.1 patch level 189 |
| 5.0.1 | Patch level 189 |
| Symantec Mail Security Appliance | 5.0.x | Update to 5.0.0-36 or later |
Products Not Affected
| Product | Version |
| Symantec Mail Security for Domino | All versions prior to 7.5 |
| Symantec Mail Security for Domino | 7.5.3.25 and later |
| Symantec Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange | 6.x |
| 4.x |
| Symantec Mail Security for SMTP | 4.1 |
| Symantec Mail Security for SMTP | 5.0.1 Patch level 189 and later |
| Symantec Mail Security Appliance | 4.x |
| Symantec Mail Security Appliance | 5.0.0-36 |
| Symantec Mail Security Appliance | 7.x |
Details
Secunia reported multiple buffer overflow vulnerabilities in the Autonomy KeyView module which is used by many software vendors. Symantec Mail Security products use the module for content filtering functions.Symantec Response
Symantec product engineers have implemented solutions for this issue. The Autonomy KeyView module processes are separated from the Symantec application processes (out-of-process) and have limited rights. This out-of-process method specifically addresses these types of security concerns. Any attempt to exploit the Autonomy KeyView module results in process termination of the offending thread and an error message generated to and handled by the specific SMS application. Additionally, affected Symantec products have been updated to the latest version of the KeyView module.
Symantec knows of no exploitation of or adverse customer impact from these issues.
Update Information
SMS for Domino and Microsoft Exchange updates are available through the
Platinum Support Web Site for Platinum customers or through the
FileConnect -Electronic Software Distribution web site.
Workaround for Symantec Mail Security for Domino
Installations of SMS for Domino 7.5 that are not utilizing the Content Filtering capabilities of the product
are not susceptible. SMS for Domino 7.5 would be susceptible only if the attachment content scanning option is enabled.
Administrators unable to upgrade to the recommended solution may disable content filtering rules that contain parameters that specify scanning of attachment content. The rules do not need to be deleted, only disabled until the updated release is installed.
To disable the content filtering rules for Symantec Mail Security for Domino
- Select the "Content Filtering" tab to display the list of current enabled rules
- Click on the checkmark to the left of any rules that utilize attachment content filtering, changing it to a red "X", and disabling the rule
Workaround for Symantec Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange
Installations of SMS for Microsoft Exchange 5.x that
are not utilizing the Content Filtering capabilities of the product are not susceptible. SMS for Microsoft Exchange 5.x is susceptible only if the attachment content scanning option is enabled.
Administrators unable to upgrade to the recommended solution may disable content filtering rules that contain parameters that specify scanning of attachment content. The rules do not need to be deleted, only disabled until the updated release is installed.
- To disable the content filtering rules for SMS for Microsoft Exchange:
- Select the "Policies" tab and then choose "Content Filtering" to display the list of currently enabled rules
- Ensure that all rules using attachment content are "disabled"
Workaround for Symantec Mail Security for SMTP and Symantec Mail Security Appliance
Installations of SMS for SMTP and SMS Appliance that are not utilizing the Content Filtering capabilities of the product
are not susceptible to this issue. SMS for SMTP and Appliance would be susceptible only if the attachment content scanning option is enabled.
Administrators unable to upgrade to the recommended solution may disable content filtering rules that contain parameters that specify scanning of attachment content. The rules do not need to be deleted, only disabled until the updated release is installed.
To disable the content filtering rules for SMS for SMTP and SMS Appliance:
- Log into the Management Console and select the Settings tab
- Select Scanning from the Email Scanning group in the Navigation List
- To disable, uncheck the option "Enable searching of non-plain text attachments for words in dictionaries"
Best Practices
As part of normal best practices, Symantec strongly recommends:
- Restrict access to administration or management systems to privileged users.
- Restrict remote access, if required, to trusted/authorized systems only.
- Run under the principle of least privilege where possible to limit the impact of exploit by threats.
- Keep all operating systems and applications updated with the latest vendor patches.
- Follow a multi-layered approach to security. Run both firewall and anti-malware applications, at a minimum, to provide multiple points of detection and protection to both inbound and outbound threats.
- Deploy network and host-based intrusion detection systems to monitor network traffic for signs of anomalous or suspicious activity. This may aid in detection of attacks or malicious activity related to exploitation of latent vulnerabilities
Credit
Symantec acknowledges Secunia,
http://secunia.com/, for identifying and reporting these issues.
Symantec takes the security and proper functionality of our products very seriously. As founding members of the Organization for Internet Safety (OISafety), Symantec supports and follows responsible disclosure
guidelines.
Please contact
secure@symantec.com if you feel you have discovered a security issue in a Symantec product. A member of the Symantec Product Security team will contact you regarding your submission to coordinate any required response. Symantec strongly recommends using encrypted email for reporting vulnerability information to
secure@symantec.com. The Symantec Product Security PGP key can be found at the location below.
Symantec has developed a Product Vulnerability Response document outlining the process we follow in addressing suspected vulnerabilities in our products. This document is available below.
Copyright (c) by Symantec Corp.
Permission to redistribute this alert electronically is granted as long as it is not edited in any way unless authorized by Symantec Product Security. Reprinting the whole or part of this alert in any medium other than electronically requires permission from
secure@symantec.comDisclaimer
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.Symantec, Symantec products, Symantec Product Security, and
secure@symantec.com are registered trademarks of Symantec Corp. and/or affiliated companies in the United States and other countries. All other registered and unregistered trademarks represented in this document are the sole property of their respective companies/owners.
Symantec Product Vulnerability Management PGP Key
