CVE-2008-0838 in ES4000
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the web administration interface in Sophos ES1000 and ES4000 Email Security Appliance 2.1.0.0 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the (1) error and (2) go parameters to the login page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/16/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-0838 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting Sophos Email Security Appliances ES1000 and ES4000 versions 2.1.0.0. This vulnerability resides within the web administration interface of these email security devices, which are commonly deployed in enterprise environments to protect against spam and malicious email content. The affected appliances are designed to filter and monitor email traffic, making them attractive targets for attackers seeking to compromise email security infrastructure. The vulnerability specifically impacts the login page functionality where user inputs are not properly sanitized, creating opportunities for malicious script injection.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves two distinct parameter injection points within the login page interface. Attackers can exploit the error parameter and the go parameter to inject malicious web scripts or HTML content directly into the web application's response. This occurs because the application fails to properly validate or sanitize user-supplied input before rendering it in the web page context. The flaw allows for persistent or reflected XSS attacks where malicious code can be executed in the context of a victim's browser session. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and output encoding practices within the web application's user interface components.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it provides attackers with potential access to sensitive administrative functions within the email security appliance. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could potentially gain unauthorized access to the appliance's administrative interface, allowing them to modify security policies, view sensitive configuration data, or even redirect email traffic through malicious configuration changes. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it targets the login page, which is frequently accessed by legitimate administrators, increasing the likelihood of successful exploitation. This vulnerability directly violates security principles related to input validation and secure coding practices, as outlined in the CWE-79 category for Cross-Site Scripting.
Organizations utilizing these Sophos appliances face significant risk from this vulnerability, particularly in environments where email security is critical for data protection. The vulnerability enables attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of authenticated sessions, potentially leading to complete compromise of the email security infrastructure. Mitigation strategies should include immediate patching of affected appliances to the latest firmware versions provided by Sophos, implementing network segmentation to limit access to administrative interfaces, and deploying web application firewalls to detect and block malicious script injection attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing additional authentication controls such as two-factor authentication and restricting administrative access to trusted IP addresses. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for credential harvesting through phishing and T1071.004 for application layer protocol usage, making it a significant concern for enterprise security operations.