CVE-2007-5038 in Bugzilla
Summary
by MITRE
The offer_account_by_email function in User.pm in the WebService for Bugzilla before 3.0.2, and 3.1.x before 3.1.2, does not check the value of the createemailregexp parameter, which allows remote attackers to bypass intended restrictions on account creation.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/30/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-5038 represents a critical access control flaw within the Bugzilla web service authentication system. This issue affects versions of Bugzilla prior to 3.0.2 and 3.1.2, specifically targeting the offer_account_by_email function located in the User.pm module. The flaw stems from insufficient input validation and parameter checking within the account creation workflow, creating a pathway for unauthorized users to circumvent established security controls designed to restrict account creation based on email address patterns.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through the improper handling of the createemailregexp parameter within the WebService interface. This parameter is intended to define regular expressions that govern which email addresses can be used to create new user accounts within the Bugzilla system. When the offer_account_by_email function fails to validate or sanitize this parameter, attackers can manipulate the input to bypass the intended email validation rules. The vulnerability essentially allows malicious actors to inject arbitrary email address patterns that would normally be rejected by the system's security controls, thereby enabling account creation with email addresses that should have been restricted.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to Bugzilla deployment security and integrity. Attackers who exploit this flaw can potentially create multiple user accounts with email addresses that match their desired patterns, bypassing restrictions that were put in place to prevent spam account creation or to limit accounts to specific domains. This weakness undermines the system's user management controls and could lead to unauthorized access, account flooding, or the creation of malicious user profiles that might be used for further attacks. The impact extends beyond simple account creation as it represents a fundamental failure in the web service's authentication and authorization mechanisms, potentially allowing for broader system compromise.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20, which describes improper input validation, and demonstrates a classic example of how parameter validation failures can create security holes in web applications. From an adversarial perspective, this issue maps to ATT&CK technique T1078.004, which covers valid accounts obtained through credential access, as attackers could exploit this flaw to create accounts that appear legitimate within the system's user management framework. Organizations using affected Bugzilla versions face risks of unauthorized account creation, potential abuse of system resources, and possible data integrity violations. The flaw particularly impacts systems where email-based account creation is restricted to specific domains or patterns, making it a significant concern for enterprise deployments that rely on email validation as part of their security posture.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected Bugzilla installations to versions 3.0.2 or 3.1.2, which contain the necessary fixes for proper parameter validation. Additionally, administrators should implement network-level controls to monitor and restrict access to the WebService endpoints, particularly those related to account creation functions. Regular security audits of web service parameters and input validation routines should be conducted to identify similar flaws. Organizations should also consider implementing additional monitoring for unusual account creation patterns and establish proper access controls for the WebService interface. The fix implemented in the patched versions ensures that the createemailregexp parameter is properly validated and sanitized before being processed, thereby restoring the intended security controls for email-based account creation.