CVE-2017-13680
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 · uneditedPrior to SEP 12.1 RU6 MP9 & SEP 14 RU1 Symantec Endpoint Protection Windows endpoint can encounter a situation whereby an attacker could use the product's UI to perform unauthorized file deletes on the resident file system.
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 confidenceA vulnerability in Symantec Endpoint Protection Windows endpoints prior to versions 12.1 RU6 MP9 and 14 RU1 allows an attacker with access to the product's UI to perform unauthorized file deletions on the local file system. The vulnerability stems from improper authorization checks within the product's user interface that should prevent users from deleting files outside the scope of legitimate endpoint protection operations.
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< 12.1= 14CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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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Confirm Symantec Endpoint Protection is installedOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like "*Symantec*"}' in PowerShellAffected if Symantec Endpoint Protection appears in the installed programs list
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Identify the installed SEP versionRight-click the SEP system tray icon and select 'About Symantec Endpoint Protection', or check the version in the Help > About Symantec Endpoint Protection menu within the client UIAffected if The displayed version is visible and can be compared against the vulnerable ranges
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Compare installed version against affected rangesDetermine if the version is less than 12.1 RU6 MP9, or exactly version 14 (prior to RU1). The version format typically appears as '12.1.6xxx' (RU6 MP9) or '14.0.xxxx' (RU1)Affected if Version is less than 12.1 RU6 MP9, or version is 14.0.xxxx without the RU1 update applied
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Verify SEP client UI is accessibleCheck if users can access the SEP client interface without administrator elevation. Attempt to open the main SEP window as a standard userAffected if The SEP UI loads for non-administrative users, as the vulnerability requires UI access to perform unauthorized file deletions
A system is affected if Symantec Endpoint Protection is installed with a version less than 12.1 RU6 MP9 or exactly version 14, and the SEP client UI is accessible to users (even non-administrators).
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 data12.1
Update Symantec Endpoint Protection to version 12.1 RU6 MP9 or 14 RU1 or later to apply the vendor patch, which adds proper authorization enforcement to prevent unauthorized file system modifications through the product UI.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-13680 — 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-2017-13680 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
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