CVE-2005-4637 in Email
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in index.php in Kayako SupportSuite 3.00.26 and earlier allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) nav parameter in the downloads module, (2) Full Name and (3) Email fields in the core module, (4) Full Name, (5) Email, and (6) Subject fields in the tickets module, or (7) Registered Email field in the lostpassword feature in the core module.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/01/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2005-4637 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Kayako SupportSuite version 3.00.26 and earlier systems. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is one of the most prevalent and dangerous web application security weaknesses. The flaw exists in the core application logic where user input is not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered back to users, creating an avenue for malicious actors to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML content into the application's response.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability spans multiple modules within the Kayako SupportSuite application, demonstrating a widespread failure in input validation and output encoding practices. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability through several distinct entry points including the nav parameter in the downloads module, various fields within the core module such as Full Name and Email, and multiple fields within the tickets module including Full Name, Email, and Subject. Additionally, the lostpassword feature in the core module presents another attack vector through the Registered Email field. These diverse attack surfaces indicate a systemic security flaw rather than isolated incidents, suggesting that the application lacks proper input sanitization mechanisms across its entire codebase.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multifaceted, as it enables attackers to execute malicious scripts in the context of authenticated users' browsers. This allows for session hijacking, credential theft, data exfiltration, and potential privilege escalation within the application. The vulnerability particularly affects users who interact with the support suite's various modules, as any user input fields can be exploited to deliver malicious payloads. The exploitation chain typically involves crafting malicious input containing script tags or other HTML elements that are then executed when other users view the affected pages, creating a persistent threat vector that can affect both administrators and regular users within the system.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability must address the root cause through comprehensive input validation and output encoding practices. Organizations should implement proper sanitization of all user-supplied input across all application modules, ensuring that any data entering the system is validated against expected formats and sanitized to remove or encode potentially dangerous characters. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers and proper HTML encoding of output data represents essential defensive measures that align with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter usage. Additionally, regular security code reviews and automated vulnerability scanning should be implemented to identify similar issues in other application components, as this vulnerability demonstrates a pattern of inadequate input handling that may exist elsewhere in the application. The remediation process should include immediate patching of the affected version and implementation of a comprehensive security testing regime to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future releases.