CVE-2002-1526 in Emu Webmail
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in emumail.cgi for EMU Webmail 5.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary HTML or script via the email address field.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/05/2025
The CVE-2002-1526 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw in the EMU Webmail 5.0 email client's emumail.cgi script. This vulnerability resides in the email address field processing mechanism where input validation is insufficient to prevent malicious code injection. The flaw enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary HTML or script code within the context of a victim's browser session, creating a significant security risk for users interacting with the webmail interface.
This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically representing a stored XSS variant where malicious input is processed and stored on the server before being served to other users. The emumail.cgi script fails to properly sanitize user input from the email address field, allowing attackers to embed malicious payloads that can be executed when other users view the affected email addresses. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the nature of webmail systems which are frequently accessed by multiple users and contain sensitive personal and business information.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution as it provides attackers with the ability to hijack user sessions, steal authentication credentials, redirect users to malicious sites, or perform actions on behalf of the victim. Attackers can craft malicious email addresses containing javascript payloads that exploit the XSS vulnerability when other users view their inboxes or reply to messages. The attack vector is particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where webmail systems serve as primary communication channels for sensitive business data and internal communications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2002-1526 should focus on implementing robust input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The primary defense involves sanitizing all user input through proper HTML encoding before processing or displaying it within the web interface. Organizations should implement Content Security Policy headers to limit script execution and prevent unauthorized code injection. Additionally, upgrading to patched versions of EMU Webmail or migrating to more secure modern email solutions represents the most effective long-term solution. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation in web applications and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 for initial access through malicious email content, highlighting the need for comprehensive web application security measures.