Symantec LiveUpdate before 1.6 does not use cryptography to ensure the integrity of download files, which allows remote attackers to execute
Symantec LiveUpdate before 1.6 does not use cryptography to ensure the integrity of download files, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via DNS spoofing of the update.symantec.com site.
- Published
- Oct 5, 2001
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 2.5% · 84th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-494
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Report tools
Action score
40
Plan
Add it to your regular patch cycle.
- CVSS
- 39 / 40 · 9.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 1 / 30 · 2.5%
CISA SSVC decision
- Exploitation
- none
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- total
Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.
Affected systems
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| symantec | liveupdate | cpe:2.3:a:symantec:liveupdate |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- symantec liveupdatebefore 1.6
Same product
symantec: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2006-1836Untrusted search path vulnerability in unspecified components in Symantec LiveUpdate for Macintosh 3.0.0 through 3.5.0 do not set the execut27Monitor
- CVE-2002-0344Symantec LiveUpdate 1.5 and earlier in Norton Antivirus stores usernames and passwords for a local LiveUpdate server in cleartext in the reg21Monitor
- CVE-2001-1126Symantec LiveUpdate 1.4 through 1.6, and possibly later versions, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (flood) via DNS spoof21Monitor
- CVE-2001-0549Symantec LiveUpdate 1.5 stores proxy passwords in cleartext in a registry key, which could allow local users to obtain the passwords.18Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- No account or password is required.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-494 · Download of Code Without Integrity CheckCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Software Integrity AttackCAPEC-184Low
- Malicious Software DownloadCAPEC-185Very High
- Malicious Software UpdateCAPEC-186High
- Malicious Automated Software Update via RedirectionCAPEC-187likelihood: High · High
- Malicious Manual Software UpdateCAPEC-533likelihood: Low · High
- Open-Source Library ManipulationCAPEC-538likelihood: Low · High
- Malicious Automated Software Update via SpoofingCAPEC-657likelihood: High · High
- Adversary in the Browser (AiTB)CAPEC-662likelihood: High · Very High
Noroxi analysis
No Noroxi analysis for this record yet
We don't hand-write analysis for all 385,000+ vulnerabilities; that wouldn't be honest. For notable, high-impact vulnerabilities our team writes the mechanism, detection and remediation steps.
We use this product, ask for helpChange log
No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.
References
- www.sarc.com/avcenter/security/Content/2001.10.05.html
- www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/218717
- www.securityfocus.com/bid/3403
- exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/7235
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.