CVE-2002-1648 in SquirrelMail
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in compose.php in SquirrelMail before 1.2.3 allows remote attackers to send email as other users via an IMG URL with modified send_to and subject parameters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/03/2025
The CVE-2002-1648 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in the SquirrelMail web-based email client prior to version 1.2.3. This vulnerability exists within the compose.php script which handles email composition functionality, making it a significant security risk for organizations relying on this email platform. The flaw allows remote attackers to exploit the application's trust in legitimate user sessions to execute unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability leverages the predictable nature of web application parameters within the email composition interface. Attackers can construct malicious IMG tags containing specially crafted URLs that modify the send_to and subject parameters of the compose.php script. When a victim visits a malicious webpage containing this IMG tag, their browser automatically requests the malicious URL without their knowledge or consent, effectively triggering an email composition action. The vulnerability exploits the fact that SquirrelMail does not validate the origin of requests or implement proper anti-CSRF token mechanisms, allowing attackers to manipulate session-based authentication to send emails as other users.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple email spoofing, as it can be weaponized for various malicious activities within email environments. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to send phishing emails, spam messages, or potentially deliver malware through email attachments. The ability to send emails as other users creates significant risks for email-based authentication systems and can be used for social engineering campaigns that exploit the trust users place in their email applications. Organizations may experience reputational damage when unauthorized emails are sent from their systems, and the vulnerability could be combined with other attacks to compromise user accounts or spread malicious content across email networks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2002-1648 should focus on implementing proper CSRF protection mechanisms within web applications, including the use of anti-CSRF tokens that are generated per session and validated on each request. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications. Organizations should upgrade to SquirrelMail version 1.2.3 or later where this vulnerability has been patched, and implement additional security measures such as Content Security Policy headers and proper request origin validation. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1566 technique for initial access through spearphishing attachments or links, making it a critical component in understanding the attack surface of web-based email systems. Security teams should also implement monitoring for unusual email sending patterns and user behavior analytics to detect potential exploitation of this vulnerability in their environments.