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Norton AntivirusApplication · Symantec

CVE-2003-0994

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 2004-02-03
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
The GUI functionality for an interactive session in Symantec LiveUpdate 1.70.x through 1.90.x, as used in Norton Internet Security 2001 through 2004, SystemWorks 2001 through 2004, and AntiVirus and Norton AntiVirus Pro 2001 through 2004, AntiVirus for Handhelds v3.0, allows local users to gain SYSTEM privileges.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Symantec LiveUpdate versions 1.70.x through 1.90.x contain a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the GUI functionality used during interactive sessions. The flaw allows a local unprivileged user to elevate their privileges to SYSTEM level, granting full administrative control over the affected system.

MitigationUpgrade to a patched version of the affected Symantec/Norton products. For legacy systems that cannot be upgraded, restrict local user access to trusted administrators only and consider migrating to current supported product versions.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Norton AntivirusApplication
Affected:= 2.1= 2001= 2002= 2003= 2004= v3.0
Norton Internet SecurityApplication
Affected:= 2001= 2002= 2003= 2004
Norton System WorksApplication
Affected:= 2001= 2002= 2003= 2004
Windows LiveupdateApplication
Affected:= 1.70.x= 1.90.x

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Norton/Symantec products
    Open Add/Remove Programs (appwiz.cpl) or check Program Files folder for Norton or Symantec directories. Look for Norton Antivirus, Norton Internet Security, Norton System Works, or LiveUpdate.
    Affected if Any of the following products are listed: Norton Antivirus (2.1, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, v3.0), Norton Internet Security (2001-2004), Norton System Works (2001-2004), or Windows LiveUpdate.
  2. Check LiveUpdate version
    Locate the LiveUpdate program (usually in Program Files\Symantec\LiveUpdate or Program Files\Norton\LiveUpdate) and check its version property. The vulnerable versions are 1.70.x through 1.90.x.
    Affected if LiveUpdate version starts with 1.70 or 1.90 (for example, 1.70.0.x, 1.90.0.x).
  3. Verify Norton product version matches affected list
    For installed Norton products, check the version information in the program's properties or About dialog. Affected versions are: Norton Antivirus (= 2.1, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, v3.0), Norton Internet Security (= 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004), Norton System Works (= 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004).
    Affected if The installed Norton product version matches any of the specific versions listed in the affected products.
  4. Confirm GUI access for local users
    Verify that non-administrator user accounts exist on the system and can access the Windows desktop interactively. This vulnerability exploits GUI functionality during interactive sessions.
    Affected if Multiple local user accounts exist and non-admin users can log on interactively to access the Norton/Symantec GUI.

The system is affected if any Norton Antivirus, Norton Internet Security, Norton System Works, or LiveUpdate version matching 2001-2004, v3.0, 2.1, or 1.70.x-1.90.x is installed and non-administrator users have interactive access to the desktop.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to a patched version of the affected Symantec/Norton products. For legacy systems that cannot be upgraded, restrict local user access to trusted administrators only and consider migrating to current supported product versions.

Fix this in Norton Antivirus Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2003-0994 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data