HighPublic exploit

Privilege Escalation in Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager 12.1

IdentifiersCVE-2015-1489CWE-269

CVE-2015-1489 is a privilege escalation vulnerability in Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager (SEPM) 12.1 prior to 12.1-RU6-MP1. The flaw allows remote authenticated users to escalate their privileges within the SEPM management console via unspecified vectors. In the context of a broader attack chain, this vulnerability enables attackers who have gained access to the SEPM (potentially via other vulnerabilities such as authentication bypass or path traversal) to escalate their privileges to 'NT Authority\SYSTEM' on the SEPM server, facilitating full compromise of the management infrastructure and downstream SEP clients.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation allows an attacker to escalate privileges on the SEPM server to 'NT Authority\SYSTEM', enabling arbitrary command execution with the highest privileges. This can lead to full compromise of the SEPM server, deployment of malicious packages to SEP clients, and potentially domain-wide compromise in a Windows environment. The impact is critical, especially in enterprise environments where SEPM manages security for large numbers of endpoints.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict access to the SEPM management console (TCP ports 8443 and 9090) to trusted administrative hosts only. Monitor SEPM logs for suspicious activity, such as creation of new administrator accounts or unexpected package uploads. Consider network segmentation and additional access controls around SEPM infrastructure until remediation can be applied.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Upgrade Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager to version 12.1 RU6 MP1 or later, as the vulnerability is addressed in SYM15-007. Ensure all SEP clients are also updated to the latest supported versions. Review and restrict network exposure of SEPM management interfaces to trusted administrative networks only.

PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

1 valid exploit after Mallory filtered fakes, detection scripts, and README-only repos.

VALID 1 / 1 TOTALView more in app

sepm_auth_bypass_rce.rbMaturityWeaponizedFrameworkmetasploitVerified exploit

This repository contains a single Metasploit module (modules/exploits/windows/http/sepm_auth_bypass_rce.rb) targeting Symantec Endpoint Protection Manager (SEPM) for Windows. The exploit leverages three vulnerabilities (authentication bypass, directory traversal, and privilege escalation) to achieve remote code execution as NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM. The module interacts with the SEPM web interface (typically over HTTPS on port 8443), first bypassing authentication to obtain a session cookie, then uploading a custom payload (Windows executable) and a malicious JSP via directory traversal. The JSP is then triggered to execute the payload, providing the attacker with a remote shell. The exploit is weaponized, allowing for customizable payloads via the Metasploit framework. The main fingerprintable endpoint is the '/servlet/ConsoleServlet' path on the SEPM web server, and the exploit uploads files to the 'tomcat/webapps/ROOT/' directory on the target. The repository is structured as a typical Metasploit module, written in Ruby, and is intended for use within the Metasploit framework.

Disclosed Jul 31, 2015rubynetwork

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

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VendorProductType

BroadcomEndpoint Protection Managerapplication

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ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

No public activity tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

0 SOURCESView more in app

No public activity observed for this vulnerability.

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Exposure mapping

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Threat actor evidence

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Associated malware

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Detection signatures

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Vendor-by-vendor mapping

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Social activity