CVE-2002-1530 in Superscout Email Filter
Summary
by MITRE
The administrative web interface (STEMWADM) for SurfControl SuperScout Email Filter allows users to obtain usernames and plaintext passwords via a request to the userlist.asp program, which includes the passwords in a user editing form.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/05/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-1530 represents a critical security flaw in the SurfControl SuperScout Email Filter administrative web interface known as STEMWADM. This issue affects the security posture of organizations relying on this email filtering solution, as it exposes sensitive authentication credentials through improper access controls and data handling practices. The vulnerability specifically resides within the userlist.asp program component of the administrative interface, which fails to properly protect sensitive information during user management operations. This weakness directly violates fundamental security principles regarding credential protection and access control mechanisms that should be implemented in all administrative web applications.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a straightforward web request to the userlist.asp program, which returns user information including plaintext passwords within a user editing form context. This represents a classic case of insufficient input validation and output sanitization where sensitive data is not properly masked or filtered before being presented to unauthorized users. The flaw essentially provides an unauthenticated attacker or legitimate user with elevated privileges to access plaintext credentials stored within the system, bypassing normal authentication mechanisms and access controls. From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability demonstrates poor separation of concerns and inadequate security design practices in web application development, particularly in administrative interfaces that handle sensitive user data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential exposure, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of the email filtering solution and potentially compromises the entire email infrastructure. Organizations utilizing SurfControl SuperScout Email Filter may experience unauthorized access to their email systems, enabling attackers to modify user accounts, create malicious email rules, or establish persistent access points within the network. The exposure of plaintext passwords creates immediate risk for account takeover scenarios and can facilitate broader network infiltration attempts. This vulnerability also impacts compliance requirements for organizations subject to data protection regulations, as it represents a failure to properly implement security controls for handling sensitive authentication information.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate remediation through software updates provided by SurfControl, as well as implementing additional access controls and network segmentation measures. Organizations should enforce strong authentication mechanisms including multi-factor authentication and disable unnecessary administrative web interfaces when not actively required. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses improper output handling, and CWE-312, which covers exposure of sensitive information through cleartext storage. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability would be categorized under the credential access and privilege escalation domains of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically targeting the credential dumping and account access techniques. Regular security assessments and proper input/output validation practices should be implemented to prevent similar issues in future development cycles and ensure proper protection of sensitive information in web applications.