CVE-2006-3456: The Symantec NAVOPTS.DLL ActiveX control (aka Symantec.Norton.AntiVirus.NAVOptions) 12.2.0.13, as used in Norton AntiVirus, Internet Security, and System Works

The Symantec NAVOPTS.DLL ActiveX control (aka Symantec.Norton.AntiVirus.NAVOptions) 12.2.0.13, as used in Norton AntiVirus, Internet Security, and System Works

The Symantec NAVOPTS.DLL ActiveX control (aka Symantec.Norton.AntiVirus.NAVOptions) 12.2.0.13, as used in Norton AntiVirus, Internet Security, and System Works 2005 and 2006, is designed for use only in application-embedded web browsers, which allows remote attackers to "crash the control" via unspecified vectors related to content on a web site, and place Internet Explorer into a "defunct state" in which remote attackers can execute arbitrary code in addition to other Symantec ActiveX controls, regardless of whether they are marked safe for scripting. NOTE: this CVE was inadvertently used for an E-mail Auto-Protect issue, but that issue has been assigned CVE-2007-3771.

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by MITRE

What it means for a small business

If your business uses Norton Antivirus, install the vendor's update. If you're not sure whether you use it, ask whoever manages your computers.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 3.9%, top 10% of all CVEs. That’s above average: worth scheduling this week. Scored October 28, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

Weekly security brief

The flaws that hit local websites, every Friday.

One short email: what got exploited this week, which WordPress plugins broke, and what to check. Unsubscribe in one click.