CVE-2002-1630 in Application Server
Summary
by MITRE
The sendmail.jsp sample page in Oracle 9i Application Server (9iAS) allows remote attackers to send arbitrary emails.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/18/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-1630 resides within the Oracle 9i Application Server (9iAS) and specifically targets the sendmail.jsp sample page functionality. This represents a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to exploit the server's email sending capabilities without proper authentication or authorization. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and access control mechanisms within the sample application code, which was provided as part of the Oracle 9iAS distribution for demonstration purposes but was never properly secured for production environments.
The technical flaw manifests through the lack of proper validation and sanitization of email parameters within the sendmail.jsp page. Attackers can manipulate the email recipient, sender, subject, and message content fields to send arbitrary emails to any destination. This vulnerability falls under the category of insecure direct object reference and improper access control as defined by CWE-284 and CWE-639. The flaw allows for potential abuse through various attack vectors including spamming, phishing campaigns, and social engineering attacks. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it leverages the legitimate email functionality of the application server, making the malicious activity appear to originate from a trusted source within the organization's infrastructure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple email spoofing or spamming. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness to conduct more sophisticated attacks such as credential harvesting through phishing emails, spreading malware via infected email attachments, or using the compromised server as a launching point for further network intrusions. The vulnerability can also be used to establish a persistent backdoor through email-based command and control channels, especially if the server is configured to allow relaying of emails to external recipients. Additionally, the compromised server could be used to send spam emails that may result in the organization's IP addresses being blacklisted by major email providers, causing legitimate email traffic to be blocked or delayed.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2002-1630 should include immediate removal or disabling of the sendmail.jsp sample page from production environments, as this sample code was never intended for production use. Organizations should implement proper access controls and authentication mechanisms for any email functionality that must remain operational, ensuring that only authorized users can access email sending capabilities. Network segmentation and firewall rules should be configured to restrict access to the application server and limit the ability of external attackers to reach vulnerable endpoints. Regular security audits and penetration testing should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other sample applications and development code. This vulnerability also highlights the importance of following the principle of least privilege and the need for comprehensive security hardening of all application server components, aligning with ATT&CK framework techniques related to privilege escalation and initial access through web application vulnerabilities. The vulnerability demonstrates how sample code provided by vendors can pose significant security risks when deployed in production environments without proper security review and hardening measures.