HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2016-6590
HIGH

CVE-2016-6590

CWE-269Published: January 8, 2020· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

A privilege escalation vulnerability exists when loading DLLs during boot up and reboot in Symantec IT Management Suite 8.0 prior to 8.0 HF4 and Suite 7.6 prior to 7.6 HF7, Symantec Ghost Solution Suite 3.1 prior to 3.1 MP4, Symantec Endpoint Virtualization 7.x prior to 7.6 HF7, and Symantec Encryption Desktop 10.x prior to 10.4.1, which could let a local malicious user execute arbitrary code.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2016-6590 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

symantec4 product(s)
encryption desktopendpoint encryptionghost solution suiteit management suite
Source: NVD CPE · 6 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/94279
ADVISORYhttp://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037302
ADVISORYhttps://support.symantec.com/us/en/article.symsa1385.html
ADVISORYhttp://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94279
ADVISORYhttp://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037302
ADVISORYhttps://support.symantec.com/us/en/article.symsa1385.html

All References (6)

→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94279Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037302Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://support.symantec.com/us/en/article.symsa1385.htmlVendor Advisory
→
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/94279Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1037302Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://support.symantec.com/us/en/article.symsa1385.htmlVendor Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2016-6590
CVSS Score7.8 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-269
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedJan 8, 2020

Related CVEs (CWE-269)

CVE-2026-31852
10.0
CVE-2022-24783
10.0
CVE-2018-4310
10.0
CVE-2025-0505
10.0
CVE-2024-6240
10.0
CVE-2021-1388
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2016-6590 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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