CVE-2004-1385 in phpGroupWare
Summary
by MITRE
phpGroupWare 0.9.16.003 and earlier allows remote attackers to gain sensitive information via (1) unexpected characters in the session ID such as shell metacharacters, (2) an invalid appname parameter to preferences.php or (3) an invalid menuaction parameter to index.php, which reveals the web server path in an error message.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/26/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2004-1385 represents a significant information disclosure issue within phpGroupWare version 0.9.16.003 and earlier installations. This flaw exposes the underlying web server path structure through error messages generated when processing malformed input parameters. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and error handling mechanisms within the application's session management and parameter processing components. Attackers can exploit this weakness to gather sensitive system information that could aid in subsequent exploitation attempts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through three distinct attack vectors that all lead to path disclosure. The first vector involves injecting unexpected characters including shell metacharacters into the session ID parameter, which causes the application to generate error messages containing the absolute web server path. The second vector targets the preferences.php script with invalid appname parameters, while the third vector exploits the index.php script with malformed menuaction parameters. These attack vectors all share a common characteristic of triggering error conditions that inadvertently reveal system path information to remote attackers.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant risk for phpGroupWare installations as it provides attackers with detailed information about the web server's file system structure. The disclosed paths can reveal critical system information including the document root directory, application installation paths, and potentially sensitive directory structures. This information can be leveraged by attackers to plan more sophisticated attacks, including directory traversal exploits, file inclusion vulnerabilities, or other path-based attacks that require knowledge of the target system's file structure. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication or prior access to the system.
The underlying technical flaw represents a classic example of insufficient input validation and improper error handling, which aligns with CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) and CWE-210 (Improperly Controlled Program or User Input). This vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1083 (File and Directory Discovery) as it enables adversaries to gather information about the target system's file structure. The vulnerability's remote nature and lack of authentication requirements make it particularly attractive to automated exploitation tools and opportunistic attackers. Organizations running affected versions of phpGroupWare should prioritize immediate remediation through patching or implementing compensating controls to prevent unauthorized access to system path information.
Security practitioners should note that this vulnerability demonstrates the importance of implementing proper error handling mechanisms that do not expose system information to end users or attackers. The recommended mitigation strategy involves updating to phpGroupWare version 0.9.16.004 or later, which includes fixes for these input validation issues. Additionally, organizations should implement proper input sanitization, error handling that does not reveal system paths, and regular security assessments to identify similar vulnerabilities in other applications. Network segmentation and monitoring for unusual error message patterns can also help detect exploitation attempts targeting this and similar vulnerabilities.