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Symantec CVE-2020-5821

HIGH
Uncontrolled Search Path Element (CWE-427)
2020-02-11 secure@symantec.com
Code Injection Symantec Endpoint Protection
7.8
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
View

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
CWE-427
OWASP Top 10:2025
A08:2025 - Software or Data Integrity Failures
ASVS 5.0
V13 - Configuration Search path element control
Impact

CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). Attack characteristics: local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction not required.
Exploit ScenarioDerived

Successful exploitation could compromise the high-severity affected system.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
No patch listed yet 0.4% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAI

Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) and Symantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition (SEP SBE), prior to 14.2 RU2 MP1 and prior to 14.2.5569.2100 respectively, may be susceptible to a DLL. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. No vendor patch available.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Apply vendor patches when available. Implement network segmentation and monitoring as interim mitigations.

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Technical ContextAI · show details

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-427. Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) and Symantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition (SEP SBE), prior to 14.2 RU2 MP1 and prior to 14.2.5569.2100 respectively, may be susceptible to a DLL injection vulnerability, which is a type of issue whereby an individual attempts to execute their own code in place of legitimate code as a means to perform an exploit. Affected products include: Symantec Endpoint Protection. Version information: prior to 14.2.

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 7.8 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

DescriptionNVD

Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) and Symantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition (SEP SBE), prior to 14.2 RU2 MP1 and prior to 14.2.5569.2100 respectively, may be susceptible to a DLL injection vulnerability, which is a type of issue whereby an individual attempts to execute their own code in place of legitimate code as a means to perform an exploit.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.4%
Top 66% exploitable
Data Quality
2 sources
Confidence: Low
NVD CVE.org EPSS

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.4%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Defer
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

39
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +39
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Code Injection CRITICAL

Code injection occurs when an application accepts user input and passes it directly into a language interpreter or evaluator without proper sanitization.

Affected Products (CPE)NVD

cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:mr1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:mr2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:mr3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:mr4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:mr4-mp1a:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:mr4-mp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:ru5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:ru6:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:ru6-mp1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:ru6-mp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:ru6-mp3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:ru6a:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:ru7:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:ru7-mp1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:ru7-mp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:ru7-mp3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:ru7-mp4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:11.0:ru7-mp4a:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:symantec:endpoint_protection:12.1:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
+ 57 more

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Same weakness CWE-427 – Uncontrolled Search Path Element

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Same technique Code Injection

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References

Advisories & patches
ADVISORY https://support.symantec.com/us/en/article.SYMSA1505.html

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