CVE-2016-9094
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 · uneditedSymantec Endpoint Protection clients place detected malware in quarantine as part of the intended product functionality. The quarantine logs can be exported for review by the user in a variety of formats including .CSV files. Prior to 14.0 MP1 and 12.1 RU6 MP7, the potential exists for file metadata to be interpreted and evaluated as a formula. Successful exploitation of an attack of this type requires considerable direct user-interaction from the user exporting and then opening the log files on the intended target client.
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 formula injection (CSV injection) vulnerability in Symantec Endpoint Protection's quarantine log export feature. Prior to versions 14.0 MP1 and 12.1 RU6 MP7, malicious metadata in quarantine entries could be interpreted as spreadsheet formulas when users export quarantine logs to CSV format and open them in spreadsheet applications, potentially leading to code execution.
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<= 14.0= 12.1.6CVSS 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:3.0/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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Check installed Symantec Endpoint Protection versionOpen the Symantec Endpoint Protection client, go to Help > About Symantec Endpoint Protection, or check the version in the client interface. Alternatively, check the program files for the version information.Affected if The version is 14.0 or lower, or is version 12.1.6 (12.1.6.x)
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Verify quarantine feature is in useCheck if quarantine entries exist in the client: go to History > Quarantine, or check the quarantine log database/file for any entries.Affected if There are quarantine entries present in the environment
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Check for CSV export capabilityLook for the export function in the quarantine log viewer: in the client, navigate to View > Logs > Quarantine, then look for an Export or Save As option that allows CSV format output.Affected if The quarantine log viewer has CSV export functionality available
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Inspect CSV export configurationIn the Symantec Endpoint Protection manager/console, check if export to CSV is enabled for quarantine logs. This may require checking client policies or console settings.Affected if CSV export for quarantine logs is permitted or enabled in the configuration
You are affected if you run a vulnerable version (14.0 or lower, or 12.1.6) of Symantec Endpoint Protection, have quarantine entries, and the CSV export feature for quarantine logs is accessible.
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 dataUpgrade to Symantec Endpoint Protection 14.0 MP1 or 12.1 RU6 MP7 or later. Until patched, users should avoid opening exported quarantine log CSV files in spreadsheet applications, especially from untrusted sources.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-9094 — 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-2016-9094 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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