CVE-2017-6323
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 · uneditedThe Symantec Management Console prior to ITMS 8.1 RU1, ITMS 8.0_POST_HF6, and ITMS 7.6_POST_HF7 has an issue whereby XML input containing a reference to an external entity is processed by a weakly configured XML parser. This attack may lead to the disclosure of confidential data, denial of service, server side request forgery, port scanning from the perspective of the machine where the parser is located, and other system impacts.
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 an XML External Entity (XXE) injection vulnerability in the Symantec Management Console. The XML parser is weakly configured and processes external entity references, allowing attackers to potentially read local files, cause denial of service, perform server-side request forgery (SSRF), or conduct port scanning from the server's perspective.
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< 8.1= 7.6= 8.0CVSS 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
- Adjacent
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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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Verify Symantec Management Console is installedCheck for presence of Symantec IT Management Suite (ITMS) or Altiris installation directories and services on the server. Look for processes named 'AeXNSClientExec', 'aexnsagent', or similar Symantec/Altiris services running.Affected if The product is installed and running.
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Determine the installed ITMS versionCheck the installed version of Symantec IT Management Suite or Altiris. This is typically viewable in Windows Add/Remove Programs, or by examining version information in the installation directory (often in Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris or HKLM\SOFTWARE\Symantec).Affected if The version is 7.6, 8.0, or any version lower than 8.1.
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Confirm the Management Console is accessibleVerify the Symantec Management Console web interface is accessible. The console typically runs on port 80 or 443, or custom ports like 8000, 8080. Check if the endpoint responds (e.g., https://server:port/Altiris/).Affected if The Management Console is accessible and responds to HTTP/HTTPS requests.
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Check if XML-related features are enabledIdentify whether XML upload, import, or parsing functionality is available in the Management Console. This may include checking console settings, plug-ins, or features that accept XML input such as task definitions, reports, or configuration imports.Affected if XML parsing features are available in the console and can accept user-supplied input.
A user is affected if they have Symantec Management Console version 7.6, 8.0, or any version below 8.1 installed with the Management Console accessible and XML features enabled.
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 data8.1
Upgrade to ITMS 8.1 RU1, ITMS 8.0_POST_HF6, ITMS 7.6_POST_HF7 or later versions to remediate the vulnerable XML parser configuration.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-6323 — 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-2017-6323 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