CVE-2016-6592
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 · uneditedA vulnerability was found in Symantec Norton Download Manager versions prior to 5.6. A remote user can create a specially crafted DLL file that, when placed on the target user's system, will cause the Norton Download Manager component to load the remote user's DLL instead of the intended DLL and execute arbitrary code when the Norton Download Manager component is run by the target user.
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 confidenceThis is a DLL hijacking vulnerability in Symantec Norton Download Manager versions prior to 5.6. The application loads DLLs from the system without proper path validation, allowing an attacker who can place a specially crafted DLL file in a location where the application searches for DLLs to have that malicious DLL loaded and executed with the privileges of the running user.
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< 5.6CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 Norton Download Manager installationCheck for the presence of Norton Download Manager executable (typically in Program Files or Program Files (x86) under Symantec or Norton folder, or search for 'Norton Download Manager.exe' or 'NDownloadMgr.exe')Affected if The executable is not found on the system, indicating the product is not installed
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Identify installed versionRight-click the Norton Download Manager executable, select Properties, and view the Details tab for the File Version. Alternatively, check Add/Remove Programs or Programs and Features for the installed version number.Affected if The version displayed is less than 5.6 (for example, 5.5, 5.0, or any version number below 5.6)
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Verify version against CVE scopeCompare the identified version number to the affected range: any version prior to 5.6 is vulnerable. Common vulnerable versions include 5.5.x, 5.0.x, and earlier releases.Affected if The installed version is 5.5.x, 5.0.x, or any version number that precedes 5.6
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Confirm DLL loading behaviorUse a process monitoring tool (such as Process Monitor from Sysinternals) to observe DLL loading behavior when Norton Download Manager runs, looking for DLLs loaded from locations without full path specificationAffected if The application loads DLLs from current directory, system paths, or relative paths without validating the full path
The system is affected if Norton Download Manager is installed with any version prior to 5.6, as the vulnerable code path for DLL hijacking will be present.
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 data5.6
Update Norton Download Manager to version 5.6 or later. Additionally, ensure the application directory and system directories are not writable by untrusted users to prevent placement of malicious DLL files.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-6592 — 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-2016-6592 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
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