CVE-2002-0303 in GroupWise
Summary
by MITRE
GroupWise 6, when using LDAP authentication and when Post Office has a blank username and password, allows attackers to gain privileges of other users by logging in without a password.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/07/2018
The vulnerability described in CVE-2002-0303 represents a critical authentication flaw within Novell GroupWise 6 email and collaboration software that leverages Lightweight Directory Access Protocol for user authentication. This weakness specifically manifests when the Post Office configuration contains blank username and password fields, creating a dangerous condition where unauthorized users can exploit the system's authentication mechanism to impersonate legitimate users. The flaw operates at the application level authentication layer, where the software fails to properly validate credentials when empty fields are present in the authentication context.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a privilege escalation attack vector that fundamentally undermines the security model of the GroupWise system. When an attacker attempts to authenticate using LDAP services and encounters a Post Office configuration with blank credentials, the system's authentication logic incorrectly permits access without requiring valid password verification. This behavior stems from insufficient input validation and authentication flow control within the GroupWise application, allowing attackers to bypass the normal password requirement process. The vulnerability is categorized as a credential bypass issue that directly relates to CWE-287, which addresses improper authentication mechanisms, and falls under the ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for credential access through social engineering.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple unauthorized access to encompass potential data breaches, privilege escalation, and unauthorized system manipulation. Attackers who successfully exploit this flaw can assume the identities of legitimate users within the GroupWise environment, potentially gaining access to sensitive email communications, calendar data, and contact information. The severity of this compromise increases when considering that the affected environment uses LDAP authentication, meaning that successful exploitation could allow attackers to access multiple user accounts simultaneously if they can leverage the blank credentials across different user contexts within the directory service. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely on GroupWise for business communications and have not properly configured their Post Office settings, creating a persistent security risk that can be exploited by both internal and external threat actors.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including mandatory credential configuration for all Post Office entries within GroupWise systems, ensuring that no blank username or password fields exist in the authentication configuration. System administrators must conduct comprehensive audits of all LDAP authentication configurations to identify and remediate any instances where blank credentials are present. The implementation of additional authentication controls such as two-factor authentication and enhanced monitoring of authentication events can provide additional layers of protection against exploitation attempts. Security teams should also establish regular vulnerability scanning procedures to identify and remediate similar credential bypass issues within the GroupWise environment. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-287 emphasizes the need for proper authentication design principles and proper input validation that prevents empty credential fields from being accepted as valid authentication tokens. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access controls to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation, while maintaining detailed audit logs of authentication attempts to detect and respond to unauthorized access attempts effectively.