CVE-2004-1149
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 · uneditedComputer Associates eTrust EZ Antivirus 7.0.0 to 7.0.4, including 7.0.1.4, installs its files with insecure permissions (ACLs), which allows local users to gain privileges by replacing critical programs with malicious ones, as demonstrated using VetMsg.exe.
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 confidenceComputer Associates eTrust EZ Antivirus versions 7.0.0 through 7.0.4 (including 7.0.1.4) installs its files with insecure permissions (ACLs), allowing local unprivileged users to replace critical executables such as VetMsg.exe with malicious code and escalate privileges to administrator level.
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= 7.0= 7.0.1= 7.0.1.1= 7.0.1.2= 7.0.1.3= 7.0.1.4= 7.0.2= 7.0.2.1= 7.0.3= 7.0.4CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify if eTrust EZ Antivirus is installedCheck the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for an entry named 'eTrust EZ Antivirus' or look for the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\eTrust EZ Antivirus or C:\Program Files\CA\eTrust EZ Antivirus)Affected if The product is found with a version between 7.0 and 7.0.4 inclusive
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Verify the installed version numberCheck the version listed in the registry uninstall key or right-click on VetMsg.exe in the installation folder and view Properties > Details to confirm the versionAffected if The version displayed is 7.0, 7.0.1, 7.0.1.1, 7.0.1.2, 7.0.1.3, 7.0.1.4, 7.0.2, 7.0.2.1, 7.0.3, or 7.0.4
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Locate VetMsg.exe and other critical executablesNavigate to the eTrust EZ Antivirus installation directory and identify VetMsg.exe and other .exe files in the folderAffected if The executable files exist in the installation folder
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Check file permissions on VetMsg.exeRight-click VetMsg.exe, select Properties > Security tab, and examine the permissions for Users or authenticated users group. Alternatively, run 'icacls VetMsg.exe' from an elevated command prompt to view the ACLAffected if The Users group or non-admin users have Write or Modify permissions to VetMsg.exe, allowing them to replace the file
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Verify write access to the installation directoryFrom a standard (non-admin) user account, attempt to create or modify a test file in the eTrust EZ Antivirus installation folder, or run 'icacls <install_dir>' to view folder permissionsAffected if Non-admin users can write or modify files in the antivirus installation directory
A user is affected if eTrust EZ Antivirus version 7.0 through 7.0.4 is installed and unprivileged users have Write or Modify permissions to critical executables such as VetMsg.exe in the installation directory.
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 dataCorrect file permissions on the eTrust EZ Antivirus installation directory and executable files to restrict modification to administrators only; if a patched version is available, upgrade to remove the vulnerable installation.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2004-1149 — 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-2004-1149 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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- 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