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AntivirusApplication · Symantec

CVE-2011-0688

HIGH · 9.3 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 →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
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, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via crafted messages over TCP, as discovered by Junaid Bohio, a different vulnerability than CVE-2010-0110 and CVE-2010-0111. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.

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

Intel Alert Management System (AMS/AMS2) contains a command injection vulnerability allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via crafted TCP messages. This affects Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition 10.x before 10.1 MR10, Symantec System Center 10.x, and Symantec Quarantine Server 3.5/3.6. The CVSS 9.3 score indicates critical severity with remote code execution capability.

MitigationApply vendor patches (SAVCE 10.1 MR10 or later). If patches unavailable, restrict network access to AMS services via firewall rules and network segmentation to minimize exposure.

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
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/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 products
    Use system inventory tools or check Add/Remove Programs to list installed software matching 'Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition', 'Symantec System Center', or 'Symantec Quarantine Server'
    Affected if Any of these three products are installed and match the affected version ranges
  2. Determine Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition version
    Check the installed version of Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition 10.x - compare against the list: 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
    Affected if The installed version is any of these listed versions before 10.1 MR10
  3. Determine Symantec System Center version
    Check the installed version of Symantec System Center - compare against versions 10.0 and 10.1
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 10.0 or 10.1
  4. Determine Symantec Quarantine Server version
    Check the installed version of Symantec Central Quarantine Server - compare against versions 3.5 and 3.6
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 3.5 or 3.6
  5. Verify AMS service is running
    Check if Alert Management System or AMS service is active - this is the component containing the command injection vulnerability
    Affected if The AMS service is running and exposed on the network

You are affected if any of the three products are installed with a version matching the affected ranges and the AMS service is operational.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply vendor patches (SAVCE 10.1 MR10 or later). If patches unavailable, restrict network access to AMS services via firewall rules and network segmentation to minimize exposure.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition 10.1 MR10 or later; contact Symantec for specific fixed versions of System Center and Quarantine Server

  1. 1. Identify the exact version of Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition, System Center, or Quarantine Server currently installed
  2. 2. For Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition 10.x: Upgrade to version 10.1 MR10 or later
  3. 3. For Symantec System Center 10.x: Contact Symantec for the fixed version that addresses CVE-2011-0688
  4. 4. For Symantec Quarantine Server 3.5/3.6: Contact Symantec for the patched version or consider migration to supported infrastructure
  5. 5. After upgrade, verify the AMS service is functioning correctly and monitor for any unauthorized access attempts
Caveat Legacy enterprise security products may have compatibility implications when upgrading; ensure backup and test in non-production environment first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Antivirus Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2011-0688 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