CVE-2005-0149 in Thunderbird
Summary
by MITRE
Thunderbird 0.6 through 0.9 and Mozilla 1.7 through 1.7.3 does not obey the network.cookie.disableCookieForMailNews preference, which could allow remote attackers bypass the user s intended privacy and security policy by using cookies in e-mail messages.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/05/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-0149 represents a critical security flaw in Mozilla Thunderbird versions 0.6 through 0.9 and Mozilla Suite versions 1.7 through 1.7.3 that directly undermines user privacy controls and security policies. This issue stems from the improper handling of cookie management within the email client's networking stack, specifically failing to respect the network.cookie.disableCookieForMailNews preference setting that users can configure to prevent cookie usage in email contexts.
The technical implementation flaw occurs at the application layer where the email client's cookie handling mechanism does not properly validate or enforce the user-configured privacy preference. When users set the network.cookie.disableCookieForMailNews parameter to true, they expect that no cookies will be sent or received in email message contexts, particularly when viewing HTML email content that might contain embedded tracking elements or web beacons. However, the vulnerability allows remote attackers to circumvent this security configuration by injecting cookies into email messages that are then processed by the browser engine within the email client, effectively bypassing the intended privacy controls.
This vulnerability has significant operational impact on users who rely on email privacy protections, as it enables attackers to track user behavior across different email clients and potentially gather sensitive information about user preferences, reading patterns, and online activities. The flaw particularly affects users who configure their email clients to disable cookies for email messages to prevent tracking by email marketers or malicious actors who embed tracking pixels or cookies in email content. The security implications extend beyond simple privacy concerns, as these cookies could potentially contain session information or other sensitive data that could be exploited for more sophisticated attacks.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-613, which addresses insufficient session management, and represents a failure to properly isolate email content from web browsing contexts. From an ATT&CK perspective, this weakness maps to T1566, specifically the use of social engineering techniques through email, and T1071, which covers application layer protocols. The flaw demonstrates a fundamental security architecture issue where the email client's network stack does not properly enforce user security preferences, creating a persistent backdoor for tracking mechanisms. Organizations and individuals relying on these email clients for sensitive communications face increased risk of targeted tracking and potential data exfiltration through compromised email privacy controls.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate upgrades to patched versions of Thunderbird and Mozilla Suite, as well as implementing additional network-level controls such as proxy server configurations that can block cookie transmission for email content. Users should also review their browser security settings and consider implementing additional privacy controls beyond the default configurations. Security administrators should monitor for any attempts to exploit this vulnerability in their networks and consider implementing email content filtering solutions that can detect and block potentially malicious cookie injection attempts in email messages.