CVE-2000-0324 is a vulnerability affecting Symantec's pcAnywhere remote control software versions 8.0.1, 8.0.2, 9.0, and 9.2. The flaw allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (DoS) condition by sending a TCP SYN scan to the pcAnywhere service. Specifically, the vulnerability is triggered when an attacker uses a network scanning tool such as nmap to perform a SYN scan against the pcAnywhere server port. This scan causes the pcAnywhere service to become unresponsive or crash, effectively denying legitimate users remote access to the system. The vulnerability does not impact confidentiality or integrity, as it does not allow unauthorized access or data manipulation, but it does affect availability by disrupting remote management capabilities. The vulnerability is remotely exploitable over the network without requiring authentication or user interaction. Despite being disclosed in 2000, no official patch or fix was made available by the vendor, leaving affected versions permanently vulnerable. The CVSS v2 base score is 5.0 (medium severity), reflecting the ease of exploitation and the impact limited to availability. No known exploits have been observed in the wild, likely due to the age of the software and the availability of newer remote access solutions. However, legacy systems still running these versions remain at risk of DoS attacks that could disrupt remote administration and support operations.

For European organizations, the primary impact of this vulnerability is the potential disruption of remote administration and support services relying on pcAnywhere versions 8.x and 9.x. This could affect IT operations, incident response, and maintenance activities, especially in environments where remote access is critical for managing distributed infrastructure. The denial of service could lead to downtime or delays in resolving operational issues, impacting business continuity. While the vulnerability does not expose sensitive data or allow unauthorized access, the loss of availability could indirectly affect service delivery and operational efficiency. Organizations using legacy systems or maintaining older remote access tools are particularly vulnerable. Given the age of the vulnerability, most modern environments have migrated to newer solutions, but sectors with long equipment lifecycles or strict change control (e.g., industrial, government, or critical infrastructure) may still be exposed. The lack of a patch means mitigation relies on compensating controls rather than software fixes.

Since no official patch is available, European organizations should implement the following specific mitigations: 1) Disable or uninstall pcAnywhere versions 8.x and 9.x where possible, replacing them with modern, supported remote access solutions that receive regular security updates. 2) If legacy pcAnywhere must remain in use, restrict network access to the pcAnywhere service using firewall rules or network segmentation, allowing only trusted IP addresses or VPN connections to reach the service port. 3) Employ intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) to monitor and block suspicious scanning activity such as TCP SYN scans targeting pcAnywhere ports. 4) Regularly audit network traffic and logs for signs of scanning or attempted DoS attacks against remote access services. 5) Educate IT staff about the vulnerability and the risks of using outdated remote access software. 6) Consider implementing rate limiting or connection throttling on network devices to reduce the impact of scanning attempts. These measures collectively reduce the attack surface and help maintain availability despite the unpatched vulnerability.