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Endpoint ProtectionApplication · Symantec

CVE-2020-5825

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-02-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) and Symantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition (SEP SBE), prior to 14.2 RU2 MP1 and prior to 14.2.5569.2100 respectively, may be susceptible to an arbitrary file write vulnerability, which is a type of issue whereby an attacker is able to overwrite existing files on the resident system without proper privileges.

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

This is an arbitrary file write vulnerability in Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) and SEP Small Business Edition (SEP SBE). An attacker with limited access could potentially overwrite existing files on the system without proper privileges, which could lead to privilege escalation, denial of service, or further system compromise depending on which files are targeted.

MitigationUpgrade to Symantec Endpoint Protection 14.2 RU2 MP1 or later (or SEP SBE 14.2.5569.2100 or later) to remediate this vulnerability. Apply the vendor patch following standard endpoint protection update procedures.

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
Endpoint ProtectionApplication
Affected:= 11.0= 12.1= 14.0.0= 14.0.1= 14.2= 12.0

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm SEP installation
    Locate the Symantec Endpoint Protection installation by checking the installation directory (commonly C:\Program Files\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\), or look for the 'Symantec Endpoint Protection' service in Windows Services, or check Add/Remove Programs for the product entry.
    Affected if Symantec Endpoint Protection or SEP Small Business Edition is not found on the system.
  2. Retrieve SEP version number
    Open the Symantec Endpoint Protection client interface and navigate to Help > About, or check the version of the main executable (such as smc.exe or sepcrt.dll) via right-click > Properties > Details, or query the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Symantec\Symantec Endpoint Protection\CurrentVersion for the 'ProductVersion' value.
    Affected if Unable to determine the installed version number.
  3. Compare version against affected list
    Match the retrieved version number against the known affected versions: 11.0, 12.0, 12.1, 14.0.0, 14.0.1, and 14.2. For SEP SBE, also compare against the vulnerable SEP SBE versions in the 14.2 release line.
    Affected if The installed version matches 11.0, 12.0, 12.1, 14.0.0, 14.0.1, or 14.2.
  4. Identify SEP variant
    Determine whether the installed product is standard Symantec Endpoint Protection or SEP Small Business Edition by reviewing the product name in Add/Remove Programs, the installation directory name, or the about dialog information.
    Affected if The product is SEP SBE and the version falls within the affected range for that variant.

The environment is affected if Symantec Endpoint Protection or SEP Small Business Edition is installed and the installed version matches 11.0, 12.0, 12.1, 14.0.0, 14.0.1, or 14.2.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to Symantec Endpoint Protection 14.2 RU2 MP1 or later (or SEP SBE 14.2.5569.2100 or later) to remediate this vulnerability. Apply the vendor patch following standard endpoint protection update procedures.

Fix this in Endpoint Protection Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,360
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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-2020-5825 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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