Vulnerability Snapshot
CVE-2016-3645 is rated CRITICAL — exploitation is trivial or already observed in the wild and impact is severe. Patch immediately, not on the next maintenance window.
Affected technology: norton_security, protection_engine, advanced_threat_protection, norton_bootable_removal_tool, data_center_security_server, plus 5 other product variants.
Executive Summary
Integer overflow in the TNEF unpacker in the AntiVirus Decomposer engine in Symantec Advanced Threat Protection (ATP); Symantec Data Center Security:Server (SDCS:S) 6.x through 6.6 MP1; Symantec Web Gateway; Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) before 12.1 RU6 MP5; Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) for Mac; Symantec Endpoint Protection (SEP) for Linux before 12.1 RU6 MP5; Symantec Protection Engine (SPE) before 7.0.5 HF01, 7.5.x before 7.5.3 HF03, 7.5.4 before HF01, and 7.8.0 before HF01; Symantec Protection for SharePoint Servers (SPSS) 6.0.3 through 6.0.5 before 6.0.5 HF 1.5 and 6.0.6 before HF 1.6; Symantec Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange (SMSMSE) before 7.0_3966002 HF1.1 and 7.5.x before 7.5_3966008 VHF1.2; Symantec Mail Security for Domino (SMSDOM) before 8.0.9 HF1.1 and 8.1.x before 8.1.3 HF1.2; CSAPI before 10.0.4 HF01; Symantec Message Gateway (SMG) before 10.6.1-4; Symantec Message Gateway for Service Providers (SMG-SP) 10.5 before patch 254 and 10.6 before patch 253; Nort
Why It Matters
CVE-2016-3645 is rated CRITICAL severity, requiring immediate attention from security teams.
CVSS Base Score: 9.8/10
Affected Technologies
Vendors: symantec
Products: norton_security, protection_engine, advanced_threat_protection, norton_bootable_removal_tool, data_center_security_server, protection_for_sharepoint_servers, message_gateway_for_service_providers, csapi, endpoint_protection, norton_power_eraser, mail_security_for_domino, mail_security_for_microsoft_exchange, message_gateway, norton_360, norton_antivirus, norton_internet_security, norton_security_with_backup, ngc
🛡️What Defenders Should Check
Use Vulnios to continuously monitor your exposure to CVE-2016-3645 and similar vulnerabilities.
References & Sources
How Vulnios Detects This
Vulnios scans for this vulnerability using Nuclei templates that probe live HTTP surfaces for the published exploit pattern. Run a scan against your environment to see whether you are exposed; findings are linked back to the original CVE record so triage starts with the patch path already known.
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Affected Products
Sources
Related Threat Alerts
- Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2016-2208 — symantec — anti-virus_engine
- Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2015-8151 — symantec — encryption_management_server
- Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2013-5017 — symantec — web_gateway
- Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2015-4523 — symantec — malware_analysis_appliance, malware_analyzer_g2
- Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2017-6326 — symantec — messaging_gateway
- Critical Vulnerability: CVE-2001-1125 — symantec — liveupdate
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2016-3645?
CVE-2016-3645 is a critical-severity vulnerability tracked under the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures program. Integer overflow in the TNEF unpacker in the AntiVirus Decomposer engine in Symantec Advanced Threat Protection (ATP); Symantec Data Center Security:Server (SDCS:S) 6.x through 6.6 MP1; Symantec Web G
Am I affected?
Check whether your environment runs norton_security, protection_engine, advanced_threat_protection, norton_bootable_removal_tool, data_center_security_server. If you operate any of those, treat yourself as in scope until you have evidence otherwise. A Vulnios scan will identify the exact assets carrying the affected version.
How urgent is the response?
Critical: do not wait for your normal patch cycle. Verify exposure today, apply the vendor patch immediately, and add detection rules for any post-exploit indicators.
How do I remediate?
Apply the vendor patch listed in the upstream advisory linked under Sources. If the patch is not yet available, follow the vendor-supplied workaround (often a config flag or feature disable) and add detections for the published exploit pattern in your SIEM. Re-scan after the patch lands to confirm the finding clears.
Where can I track exploitation activity?
Watch CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog for CVE-2016-3645. Cross-reference with public exploit databases and your own SIEM/IDS for indicator-of-compromise patterns. Vulnios tracks KEV status automatically and surfaces it on the asset findings view.
How does Vulnios help with this?
Vulnios continuously cross-references your asset inventory against the live CVE feed (NVD, vendor advisories, CISA KEV, and curated OSINT). When a new CVE matches your environment, you get a prioritized finding with the severity, KEV status, exploit-prediction (EPSS), and a direct path to the vendor patch. You can start a free scan from the homepage.
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