CVE-2015-5689
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 · uneditedghostexp.exe in Ghost Explorer Utility in Symantec Ghost Solutions Suite (GSS) before 3.0 HF2 12.0.0.8010 and Symantec Deployment Solution (DS) before 7.6 HF4 12.0.0.7045 performs improper sign-extend operations before array-element accesses, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code, cause a denial of service (application crash), or possibly obtain sensitive information via a crafted Ghost image.
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 confidenceGhost Explorer Utility in Symantec Ghost Solutions Suite and Deployment Solution contains a sign-extension vulnerability in ghostexp.exe. The improper sign-extend operations before array-element accesses allows remote code execution, DoS, or information disclosure when processing a crafted Ghost image file.
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= 6.9= 1.0= 1.1= 2.0= 2.0.1= 2.0.2= 2.1CVSS 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
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
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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Locate ghostexp.exe on the systemSearch for ghostexp.exe in common installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Symantec\Ghost or C:\Program Files (x86)\Symantec\Ghost, or use the command: dir /s C:\ghostexp.exeAffected if The file exists on the system and originates from an affected product version
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Check the file version of ghostexp.exeRight-click ghostexp.exe, select Properties, then view the Version tab to identify the product versionAffected if The version is 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, or 2.1 for Ghost Solutions Suite, or 6.9 for Deployment Solution
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Identify installed Symantec productOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or check the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for Symantec Deployment Solution or Ghost Solutions Suite entriesAffected if Symantec Deployment Solution version 6.9 or Ghost Solutions Suite versions 1.0 through 2.1 is listed as installed
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Verify Ghost Explorer is used to open image filesConfirm that users have the ability to process .gho image files using ghostexp.exe, which is the Ghost Explorer utilityAffected if ghostexp.exe can be used to open Ghost image files and the installed version falls within the affected range
The environment is affected if ghostexp.exe from Symantec Deployment Solution 6.9 or Ghost Solutions Suite versions 1.0-2.1 is present and can be used to open image files.
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 dataApply vendor patches: update GSS to version 3.0 HF2 (12.0.0.8010) or later, and DS to version 7.6 HF4 (12.0.0.7045) or later. Avoid opening untrusted Ghost image files until patched.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-5689 — 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-2015-5689 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