CVE-2000-0386 in FileMaker
Summary
by MITRE
FileMaker Pro 5 Web Companion allows remote attackers to send anonymous or forged email.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/21/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2000-0386 resides within FileMaker Pro 5 Web Companion, a web application framework that enabled users to create database-driven web applications. This particular flaw represents a significant security weakness in the email handling mechanisms of the software, specifically allowing unauthorized remote attackers to exploit the system's email transmission capabilities. The vulnerability emerged from insufficient input validation and authentication controls within the web application's email processing functions, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate the email sending functionality. The flaw was particularly concerning because it enabled attackers to send email messages without proper authorization, potentially allowing for spamming activities, phishing campaigns, or other malicious email-based attacks.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from the application's failure to properly validate email addresses and sender information when processing web forms that trigger email notifications. Attackers could craft malicious web requests that would bypass normal authentication checks and send email messages from arbitrary addresses, including forged sender information. This weakness aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and represents a classic example of how inadequate sanitization of user inputs can lead to unauthorized functionality exploitation. The vulnerability exploited the trust relationship between the web application and its email server, allowing attackers to leverage the application's legitimate email sending capabilities for unauthorized purposes.
The operational impact of CVE-2000-0386 extends beyond simple unauthorized email sending, as it created opportunities for more sophisticated attacks within the broader context of email-based threats. Organizations using FileMaker Pro 5 Web Companion were at risk of having their systems used as spam relays, potentially leading to blacklisting of their email servers and damage to their reputation. The vulnerability also opened pathways for social engineering attacks where attackers could forge emails from legitimate organizational addresses, undermining trust in the email system. From an attacker's perspective, this vulnerability provided a low-effort method to conduct email-based reconnaissance and phishing campaigns, as it required no special privileges or complex exploitation techniques. The attack vector was particularly dangerous because it could be executed remotely without requiring any local access to the system, making it a prime target for automated scanning tools and mass exploitation campaigns.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability centered on implementing proper input validation and authentication controls within the web application framework. Organizations should have deployed network-level restrictions to limit access to the vulnerable email functionality and implemented proper email address validation to prevent forged sender addresses. The fix required modifications to the application's email handling code to ensure that all email transmissions were properly authenticated and that sender information was validated against legitimate user accounts. This vulnerability highlighted the importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to standards such as those outlined in the OWASP Top Ten, particularly focusing on input validation and authentication controls. Additionally, network segmentation and firewall rules could have been implemented to restrict access to the vulnerable web application components, preventing unauthorized access to the email sending functionality. The incident underscored the critical need for regular security assessments of web applications and the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches for enterprise software systems.