CVE-2002-1649 in SquirrelMail
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in read_body.php in SquirrelMail before 1.2.3 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary Javascript via a javascript: URL in an IMG tag.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/18/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2002-1649 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw discovered in SquirrelMail version 1.2.2 and earlier, affecting web-based email clients that process user input without proper sanitization. This vulnerability resides within the read_body.php component of the application, which serves as a core module for displaying email content to users. The flaw specifically manifests when the application fails to adequately validate or escape user-supplied data that is subsequently rendered in web pages, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject and execute arbitrary JavaScript code within the context of a victim's browser session.
The technical mechanism of this vulnerability operates through the improper handling of javascript: URLs within IMG tags, which allows attackers to craft malicious email messages containing specially formatted image tags that reference JavaScript code. When a victim views such an email, the browser attempts to load the image source, inadvertently executing the embedded JavaScript code due to the lack of proper input validation in the read_body.php script. This behavior aligns with CWE-79, which classifies cross-site scripting vulnerabilities as weaknesses that allow attackers to inject malicious code into web applications viewed by other users. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic case of insufficient input sanitization where the application trust user-provided content without proper encoding or validation of potentially dangerous elements.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to perform a range of malicious activities within the victim's browser context. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, modify page content, or even perform actions on behalf of the authenticated user. The attack vector requires minimal sophistication and can be executed through simple email messages, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users regularly access email through web interfaces. This vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001, which describes phishing attacks using malicious email content, and T1059.007, which covers scripting through web shells or browser-based attacks. The widespread use of SquirrelMail in email services made this vulnerability particularly impactful, as compromising a single user's session could potentially lead to broader network infiltration.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2002-1649 involve immediate patching of the SquirrelMail application to version 1.2.3 or later, which includes proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive input sanitization policies that escape or remove potentially dangerous content from user-provided data before rendering it in web contexts. The solution should incorporate proper HTML entity encoding for all user-supplied content, particularly within attributes of HTML elements like IMG tags. Security measures should include implementing content security policies to prevent execution of inline scripts and establishing robust web application firewall rules to detect and block suspicious URL patterns. Additionally, user education about the risks of opening untrusted emails and the importance of maintaining updated software versions remains crucial. Organizations should also consider implementing automated vulnerability scanning tools to identify similar issues in other web applications and establish regular security auditing procedures to detect potential XSS vulnerabilities in their web-based systems.