Software Engineering Institute

The Symantec Scan Engine provides a programming interface to Symantec content scanning and virus detection services. The Symantec Scan Engine includes an administrative interface that is enabled and listening on port 8004/tcp by default.

The web interface to Symantec Scan Engine uses a client-side Java applet to perform authentication. No authentication is performed on the server side.

A remote, unauthenticated attacker may be able to gain access to the Symantec Scan Engine software. At the time of publication of this document, exploit code to remotely change the administrator password is available.

Apply an update
Apply an update to Symantec Scan Engine, as specified in the Symantec document SYM06-008.

Restrict access

You may wish to block access to the vulnerable software from outside your network perimeter, specifically by blocking access to the administrative port (8004/tcp by default). This will limit your exposure to attacks. However, blocking at the network perimeter would still allow attackers within the perimeter of your network to exploit the vulnerability. The use of host-based firewalls in addition to network-based firewalls can help restrict access to specific hosts within the network. It is important to understand your network's configuration and service requirements before deciding what changes are appropriate.