HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2016-5311
HIGH

CVE-2016-5311

CWE-427Published: January 9, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

A Privilege Escalation vulnerability exists in Symantec Norton Antivirus, Norton AntiVirus with Backup, Norton Security, Norton Security with Backup, Norton Internet Security, Norton 360, Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition Cloud, and Endpoint Protection Cloud Client due to a DLL-preloading without path restrictions, which could let a local malicious user obtain system privileges.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2016-5311 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation does not require any privileges, though user interaction (Required) is needed, which slightly reduces the risk of mass automated attacks.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.8.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionRequired
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

symantec9 product(s)
endpoint protectionendpoint protection cloudnorton 360norton antivirusnorton antivirus with backupnorton familynorton internet securitynorton securitynorton security with backup
Source: NVD CPE · 9 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94295
ADVISORYhttp://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037323
ADVISORYhttp://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037324
ADVISORYhttp://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037325
ADVISORYhttps://www.symantec.com/security_response/securityupdates/detail.jsp?fid=security_advisory&pvid=security_advisory&year=&suid=20161117_00
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94295
ADVISORYhttp://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037323
ADVISORYhttp://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037324
ADVISORYhttp://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037325
ADVISORYhttps://www.symantec.com/security_response/securityupdates/detail.jsp?fid=security_advisory&pvid=security_advisory&year=&suid=20161117_00

All References (10)

→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94295Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037323Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037324Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037325Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://www.symantec.com/security_response/securityupdates/detail.jsp?fid=security_advisory&pvid=security_advisory&year=&suid=20161117_00Vendor Advisory
→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94295Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037323Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037324Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037325Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://www.symantec.com/security_response/securityupdates/detail.jsp?fid=security_advisory&pvid=security_advisory&year=&suid=20161117_00Vendor Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2016-5311
CVSS Score7.8 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-427
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedJan 9, 2020

Related CVEs (CWE-427)

CVE-2025-4981
9.9
CVE-2024-42191
9.8
CVE-2017-3090
9.8
CVE-2026-28393
9.8
CVE-2024-42190
9.8
CVE-2017-3092
9.8

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2016-5311 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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