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AntivirusApplication · Symantec

CVE-2010-0110

HIGH · 7.9 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-01-31
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
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
Multiple stack-based buffer overflows in Intel Alert Management System (aka AMS or AMS2), as used in Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition (SAVCE) 10.x before 10.1 MR10, Symantec System Center (SSC) 10.x, and Symantec Quarantine Server 3.5 and 3.6, allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via (1) a long string to msgsys.exe, related to the AMSSendAlertAct function in AMSLIB.dll in the Intel Alert Handler service (aka Symantec Intel Handler service); a long (2) modem string or (3) PIN number to msgsys.exe, related to pagehndl.dll in the Intel Alert Handler service; or (4) a message to msgsys.exe, related to iao.exe in the Intel Alert Originator service.

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

Multiple stack-based buffer overflows in Intel Alert Management System (AMS) allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via long strings to msgsys.exe. The overflows occur in three components: the AMSSendAlertAct function in AMSLIB.dll within the Intel Alert Handler service, pagehndl.dll handling modem and PIN number inputs, and iao.exe in the Intel Alert Originator service processing messages.

MitigationApply vendor patches: update Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition to version 10.1 MR10 or later, and apply available patches for Symantec System Center 10.x and Quarantine Server 3.5/3.6. If patches are unavailable for older Quarantine Server versions, consider decommissioning or isolating the affected services.

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
AntivirusApplication
Affected:= 10.0= 10.0.1= 10.0.1.1= 10.0.1.2= 10.0.2= 10.0.2.1= 10.0.2.2= 10.0.3= 10.0.4= 10.0.5= 10.0.6= 10.0.7
System CenterApplication
Affected:= 10.0= 10.1
Antivirus Central Quarantine ServerApplication
Affected:= 3.5= 3.6

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
Adjacent
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:A/AC:M/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 Symantec Antivirus version
    Check the installed version of Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition through Add/Remove Programs, the product UI, or by examining the version information in the product installation directory.
    Affected if The installed version matches 10.0, 10.0.1, 10.0.1.1, 10.0.1.2, 10.0.2, 10.0.2.1, 10.0.2.2, 10.0.3, 10.0.4, 10.0.5, 10.0.6, or 10.0.7.
  2. Identify installed Symantec System Center version
    Check the installed version of Symantec System Center through Add/Remove Programs or the product's About/Version information.
    Affected if The installed version is 10.0 or 10.1.
  3. Identify installed Quarantine Server version
    Check the installed version of Symantec Antivirus Central Quarantine Server through Add/Remove Programs or the product's version information.
    Affected if The installed version is 3.5 or 3.6.
  4. Locate vulnerable components
    Search for the presence of msgsys.exe, AMSLIB.dll, pagehndl.dll, and iao.exe in the installation directories of the Symantec products. These files are part of the Intel Alert Management System components.
    Affected if Any of these vulnerable binaries exist in the product directories.
  5. Check if vulnerable services are running
    Check running services for Intel Alert Handler service and Intel Alert Originator service. On Windows, use Services.msc or the command 'sc query' to enumerate running services.
    Affected if The Intel Alert Handler service or Intel Alert Originator service is running.

A system is affected if it has any of the listed Symantec product versions (Antivirus 10.0.x, System Center 10.0/10.1, or Quarantine Server 3.5/3.6) installed with the vulnerable Intel AMS components and services present or running.

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

Apply vendor patches: update Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition to version 10.1 MR10 or later, and apply available patches for Symantec System Center 10.x and Quarantine Server 3.5/3.6. If patches are unavailable for older Quarantine Server versions, consider decommissioning or isolating the affected services.

Fix this in Antivirus Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2010-0110 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