CVE-2002-2343 in NOCC
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in NOCC 0.9 through 0.9.5 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via email messages.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/28/2025
The CVE-2002-2343 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting the NOCC web-based email client version 0.9 through 0.9.5. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting and specifically manifests as a weakness in input validation and output encoding within the email message handling functionality. The vulnerability arises when the application fails to properly sanitize user-supplied email content before rendering it in the web interface, creating an opportunity for malicious actors to inject malicious scripts that execute in the context of other users' browsers.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the injection of malicious HTML or JavaScript code within email messages that are subsequently displayed by the NOCC interface. When a victim accesses their email through the vulnerable application, the malicious script embedded in the email content executes in their browser session, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or other malicious activities. This type of attack leverages the trust relationship between the user and the application, making it particularly dangerous as users expect email content to be safe. The vulnerability is classified as a reflected XSS attack pattern where the malicious payload is reflected back to the user through the application's response, with the attack vector being the unfiltered email message content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable sophisticated attacks such as credential harvesting, session manipulation, and data exfiltration. Attackers can craft specially designed email messages containing malicious payloads that exploit the XSS vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, or even execute commands on behalf of the victim. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations using the NOCC email client, where users may be exposed to attacks simply by reading their email messages, creating a significant risk for corporate email systems. The vulnerability demonstrates poor security practices in input sanitization and output encoding, which are fundamental requirements for web application security according to OWASP Top Ten and NIST guidelines.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2002-2343 must focus on implementing proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the NOCC application. Organizations should immediately upgrade to a patched version of the NOCC email client, as the vulnerability was addressed in subsequent releases. Additionally, administrators should implement content security policies to prevent script execution in email contexts, deploy web application firewalls to detect and block malicious payloads, and educate users about the risks of opening suspicious emails. The remediation process should include thorough code reviews to ensure proper sanitization of all user inputs, particularly email content, and implementation of strict output encoding mechanisms that prevent script execution in web contexts. This vulnerability underscores the critical importance of secure coding practices and proper input validation as outlined in the ATT&CK framework under the T1203 technique for credential access through web application attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing email filtering solutions that can detect and block known malicious patterns in email content before they reach the vulnerable application interface.