CVE-2005-1318 in Forwards
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in Horde Forwards E-Mail Forwarding Manager before 2.2.2 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the parent s frame page title.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/08/2018
The CVE-2005-1318 vulnerability represents a classic cross-site scripting flaw within the Horde Forwards E-Mail Forwarding Manager component of the Horde web application suite. This vulnerability specifically affects versions prior to 2.2.2 and demonstrates a critical weakness in input validation and output encoding mechanisms. The flaw resides in how the application handles the parent s frame page title parameter, which is processed without adequate sanitization before being rendered in the web interface. This oversight creates an exploitable entry point for malicious actors seeking to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content into the application's user interface.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-79, which defines improper neutralization of input during web page generation as a fundamental weakness in web application security. The vulnerability operates through a typical XSS attack vector where an attacker crafts a malicious payload containing script code within the parent s frame page title field. When a victim navigates to a page containing this maliciously crafted title, the browser executes the embedded script within the context of the victim's session, potentially compromising the user's web application experience and data integrity. The attack requires no special privileges or authentication, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited through social engineering or by compromising legitimate user sessions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal cookies, redirect users to malicious websites, or even modify the application's behavior for authenticated users. The Horde Forwards E-Mail Forwarding Manager serves as an email management tool within larger web applications, meaning that successful exploitation could provide attackers with access to sensitive email communications and forwarding configurations. This vulnerability particularly affects web applications that rely on the Horde framework for email management, making it a significant concern for organizations using this software stack. The attack surface is broad since any user of the email forwarding manager could potentially be targeted, especially in environments where users frequently interact with forwarded emails from external sources.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of the affected Horde Forwards E-Mail Forwarding Manager to version 2.2.2 or later, which contains the necessary input validation fixes. Organizations should also implement comprehensive input sanitization measures, including proper HTML escaping of all user-supplied data before rendering in web pages. The implementation of Content Security Policy (CSP) headers can provide additional protection against script execution, though this should complement rather than replace proper input validation. Security teams should conduct regular vulnerability assessments of their web application components and maintain up-to-date patch management procedures. This vulnerability also highlights the importance of following secure coding practices as outlined in the OWASP Top Ten and MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly focusing on the execution of malicious code through web interfaces and the exploitation of input validation weaknesses in web applications.