CVE-2007-2720 in Group-office Groupware
Summary
by MITRE
Group-Office before 2.16-13 does not properly validate user IDs, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via certain requests for (1) message.php and (2) messages.php in modules/email/. NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/15/2017
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2007-2720 affects Group-Office versions prior to 2.16-13 and represents a critical information disclosure flaw stemming from inadequate user ID validation within the email module. This vulnerability resides in the modules/email/ directory and specifically impacts two key files: message.php and messages.php. The flaw allows remote attackers to exploit insufficient input validation mechanisms to access sensitive information through crafted requests targeting these components.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability demonstrates a classic case of improper input validation, which falls under CWE-20 - Improper Input Validation. The system fails to properly validate user identifiers before processing requests, creating a pathway for unauthorized information disclosure. Attackers can construct malicious requests that bypass normal access controls, potentially gaining visibility into email messages, user data, or other sensitive information stored within the Group-Office system. This weakness enables what security professionals categorize as information exposure attacks, where unauthorized parties can obtain data they should not have access to based on their privileges.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data leakage, as it represents a significant breach in the application's access control mechanisms. When remote attackers can manipulate user ID parameters to access restricted email content, they essentially undermine the confidentiality controls that should protect sensitive communications within the Group-Office environment. This vulnerability affects the core security model of the application, particularly its ability to enforce proper authentication and authorization boundaries. The implications are particularly severe in enterprise environments where Group-Office systems typically handle confidential business communications, personal data, and sensitive organizational information.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1213 - Data from Information Repositories, where adversaries seek to extract sensitive data from applications. The attack surface includes any remote user who can access the Group-Office web interface and has knowledge of the vulnerable endpoints. The exploitability of this vulnerability is relatively straightforward, requiring only basic web request manipulation skills. Organizations running affected versions should prioritize immediate remediation through patching, as the vulnerability does not require privileged access or complex exploitation techniques. The recommended mitigation strategy involves updating to Group-Office version 2.16-13 or later, which includes proper user ID validation mechanisms that prevent unauthorized access to email resources through manipulated requests. Security teams should also implement network-level monitoring to detect suspicious access patterns targeting the vulnerable endpoints and consider additional access controls to limit exposure to authenticated users only.