CVE-2003-1451
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 · uneditedBuffer overflow in Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2002 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an e-mail attachment with a compressed ZIP file that contains a file with a long filename.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow in Symantec Norton AntiVirus 2002 when parsing ZIP file attachments containing files with excessively long filenames, allowing remote arbitrary code execution via malicious e-mail.
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= 2002CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed antivirus productCheck system for Norton AntiVirus installation by reviewing installed programs or checking Program Files for Norton AntiVirus directories. On Windows, check Add/Remove Programs or review the product directory under Program Files.Affected if The product is Norton AntiVirus version 2002 specifically, as only this exact version is affected.
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Confirm exact version numberOpen Norton AntiVirus 2002 and navigate to Help > About, or right-click the Norton icon in the system tray and select About. Alternatively, check the version in the program's main window.Affected if The version shown is exactly 2002 (no service packs, patches, or later versions).
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Verify ZIP attachment scanning is enabledOpen Norton AntiVirus 2002, go to Options or Settings, and look for Email scanning, Attachment scanning, or ZIP file handling settings. Check if email attachment scanning is enabled.Affected if Email attachment scanning is enabled and the system processes ZIP file attachments through Norton AntiVirus.
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Check email integration statusReview whether Norton AntiVirus is integrated with the system's email client (Outlook, Outlook Express, etc.) or email gateway. Check the Norton Internet Security or email protection settings.Affected if Norton AntiVirus is set to scan incoming email attachments, as this is the attack vector for the buffer overflow.
A system is affected if Norton AntiVirus 2002 (exact version) is installed with email/ZIP attachment scanning enabled, as the vulnerability is triggered when parsing malicious ZIP file attachments in email.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpdate Norton AntiVirus 2002 to a patched version or migrate to a supported antivirus solution, as Norton AntiVirus 2002 is end-of-life and no longer supported by Symantec.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2003-1451 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2003-1451 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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