dbcve.org
Web GatewayApplication · Symantec

CVE-2015-5692

HIGH · 7.9 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-09-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 5.2.2 or later.
See remediation →
85/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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
admin_messages.php in the management console on Symantec Web Gateway (SWG) appliances with software before 5.2.2 DB 5.0.0.1277 allows remote authenticated users to execute arbitrary code by uploading a file with a safe extension and content type, and then leveraging an improper Sudo configuration to make this a setuid-root file.

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

The vulnerability exists in admin_messages.php within the Symantec Web Gateway management console. An authenticated remote attacker can upload a file with a safe extension and content type (bypassing upload filters), then exploit an improper Sudo configuration to elevate the uploaded file to setuid-root permissions, achieving arbitrary code execution with root privileges.

MitigationApply the vendor patch (Symantec Web Gateway 5.2.2 DB 5.0.0.1277 or later) and review Sudo configurations to prevent unprivileged users from making files setuid-root.

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
Web GatewayApplication
Affected:<= 5.2.2

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
Multiple
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:M/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 if Symantec Web Gateway is installed
    Search for installation directories such as /var/www/html, /opt/symantec, or typical Web Gateway paths, and look for files or directories containing 'symantec' or 'webgateway' in the name.
    Affected if Symantec Web Gateway software is present on the system.
  2. Determine the installed version
    Locate version information in configuration files, about pages, or the management interface. Common locations include /opt/symantec/swam.ini, version files in the installation directory, or the admin dashboard.
    Affected if The installed version is 5.2.2 or earlier.
  3. Verify the vulnerable admin_messages.php exists
    Search for the file admin_messages.php within the management console web directory. This is typically found in the admin or includes subdirectory of the web root.
    Affected if The file admin_messages.php exists in the web application directory.
  4. Check for the improper Sudo configuration
    Review the /etc/sudoers file or files in /etc/sudoers.d/ for rules that allow the web server user (commonly 'apache' or 'www-data') to run commands that can modify file permissions or execute privileged operations. Look for rules involving chmod with special permissions or commands that can escalate to root.
    Affected if The sudoers configuration permits the web application user to perform operations that can set file permissions to setuid-root.
  5. Confirm the management console is accessible
    Verify the Symantec Web Gateway management interface is reachable via network. Check if ports 80, 443, or the configured management port are open and responding.
    Affected if The management console web interface is network-accessible.

A system is affected if it runs Symantec Web Gateway version 5.2.2 or earlier with the vulnerable admin_messages.php component present, has the exploitable Sudo configuration allowing permission escalation, and has the management interface exposed.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 5.2.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch (Symantec Web Gateway 5.2.2 DB 5.0.0.1277 or later) and review Sudo configurations to prevent unprivileged users from making files setuid-root.

Fix this in Web Gateway Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
27.0 hours of engineering $4,800
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,680.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-5692 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2015-5692 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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