CVE-2002-0502 in Nfuse
Summary
by MITRE
Citrix NFuse 1.6 may allow remote attackers to list applications without authentication by accessing the applist.asp page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/29/2025
Citrix NFuse 1.6 contains a critical security vulnerability that exposes applications to unauthorized access through a simple web enumeration attack. The vulnerability exists in the applist.asp page which serves as a directory listing interface for applications managed by the NFuse system. This flaw represents a direct violation of authentication controls and provides attackers with comprehensive visibility into the application landscape without requiring any valid credentials or access privileges. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-200, which encompasses information exposure through improper access control mechanisms, and specifically demonstrates how web applications can inadvertently reveal sensitive information through unsecured directory listing features.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient authentication checks within the applist.asp component. When an attacker accesses this specific page, the system fails to validate whether the requesting user possesses proper authorization rights to view the application catalog. This design flaw allows for passive reconnaissance and enumeration activities that can reveal detailed information about deployed applications, their versions, and potentially their underlying infrastructure. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it requires minimal technical skill and can be executed through standard web browsing or automated scanning tools, making it accessible to both novice and experienced threat actors.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it provides attackers with valuable intelligence for subsequent exploitation phases. Security professionals have noted that such directory traversal and application enumeration capabilities often serve as foundational steps in more sophisticated attack campaigns, enabling threat actors to identify potential targets for privilege escalation, application-specific exploits, or social engineering campaigns. The vulnerability particularly affects organizations that rely on Citrix NFuse for application delivery and management, where the exposure of application inventories can significantly compromise the overall security posture. This weakness aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213.002, which covers data from information repositories, and demonstrates how improperly protected web interfaces can become entry points for broader compromise.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including disabling or securing access to the applist.asp page through authentication mechanisms, implementing proper access controls, and conducting comprehensive security assessments of all web-based application interfaces. The recommended approach involves enforcing strict authentication requirements for all application listing pages and ensuring that directory browsing features are disabled on all web servers. Additionally, network segmentation and firewall rules should be configured to restrict access to these sensitive endpoints to only authorized administrative users. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block unauthorized access attempts to known vulnerable paths and ensure that all NFuse installations are updated to versions that address this specific authentication bypass vulnerability.