CVE-2008-2105 in Bugzilla
Summary
by MITRE
email_in.pl in Bugzilla 2.23.4, 3.0.x before 3.0.4, and 3.1.x before 3.1.4 allows remote authenticated users to more easily spoof the changer of a bug via a @reporter command in the body of an e-mail message, which overrides the e-mail address as normally obtained from the From e-mail header. NOTE: since From headers are easily spoofed, this only crosses privilege boundaries in environments that provide additional verification of e-mail addresses.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/10/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2008-2105 affects Bugzilla versions 2.23.4, 3.0.x before 3.0.4, and 3.1.x before 3.1.4, specifically within the email_in.pl script that processes incoming email messages for bug tracking. This flaw represents a privilege escalation vulnerability that allows authenticated users to manipulate the reported change information within bug reports through carefully crafted email commands. The technical implementation involves the @reporter command that can be embedded within email message bodies, enabling attackers to override the standard email address extraction mechanism that normally relies on the From header field.
The core technical flaw stems from insufficient validation and sanitization of email command processing within the Bugzilla email handling system. When an email containing the @reporter command is processed, the system accepts this command and uses its value to determine the user who made the change, bypassing the normal verification process that would typically extract the email address from the From header. This creates a potential vector for privilege escalation attacks where authenticated users can impersonate other users or manipulate the attribution of bug changes. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because email headers, including the From field, are notoriously easy to spoof, making this attack feasible in environments where additional email address verification mechanisms are not properly implemented.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple spoofing, as it can be exploited to manipulate audit trails and change attribution within bug tracking systems. Attackers can potentially make it appear that a different user made changes to a bug report, which could be used to obscure malicious activities or manipulate the perceived ownership of issues. This affects the integrity of the bug tracking system's change logs and can compromise the trustworthiness of the audit trail that administrators rely upon for security monitoring and compliance purposes. The vulnerability essentially undermines the system's ability to accurately track who made what changes to bug reports, creating potential confusion and security risks in environments where bug tracking is used for security incident management.
Organizations using affected Bugzilla versions should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to patched versions 3.0.4, 3.1.4, or later, as this vulnerability was addressed through improved email header validation and command processing. Additionally, system administrators should consider implementing additional email verification mechanisms beyond simple header validation, such as DKIM signature verification or SPF checks, to provide stronger assurance of email authenticity. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1566 (Phishing) when used in conjunction with social engineering to craft convincing emails that exploit this vulnerability. Organizations should also consider implementing monitoring for suspicious email command patterns and establish procedures for verifying email authenticity before accepting automated changes to bug reports, particularly in environments where the system's integrity is critical to security operations.