CVE-2008-4182 in Turba Contact Manager H3
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in imp/test.php in Horde Turba Contact Manager H3 2.2.1 and other versions before 2.3.1, and possibly other Horde Project products, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the User field in an IMAP session.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/21/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-4182 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw affecting the Horde Turba Contact Manager H3 version 2.2.1 and earlier releases, with potential impact extending to other components within the Horde Project ecosystem. This security weakness resides in the imp/test.php script which processes user input during IMAP session management, creating an avenue for malicious actors to execute arbitrary web scripts or HTML code within the context of affected applications. The vulnerability specifically targets the User field parameter within IMAP session handling, demonstrating how seemingly benign input processing can become a vector for sophisticated attacks.
The technical exploitation of this XSS vulnerability occurs when an attacker crafts malicious input containing script code within the User field during an IMAP session establishment. When the vulnerable application processes this input without proper sanitization or output encoding, the malicious script executes in the context of other users' browsers who subsequently access the affected application. This flaw falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, where improper validation or sanitization of user-supplied data leads to script execution in web browsers. The vulnerability's classification as a remote attack vector means that adversaries can exploit this weakness without requiring local system access or authentication, making it particularly dangerous in web-based environments.
The operational impact of CVE-2008-4182 extends beyond simple script injection, potentially enabling attackers to perform session hijacking, steal user credentials, redirect users to malicious sites, or execute persistent attacks against other users within the same application environment. The affected Horde Turba Contact Manager application serves as a contact management system that likely stores sensitive user information, making the potential attack surface significant. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to contact data, manipulate user sessions, or create backdoors within the application environment. The vulnerability's presence in multiple Horde Project products indicates a broader architectural issue that may affect various components within the suite, potentially compromising the integrity of the entire platform.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability should focus on implementing comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms throughout the application stack. The most effective immediate solution involves sanitizing all user-supplied input, particularly in fields like User that are processed during session establishment, before rendering any content to web browsers. Organizations should implement proper HTML escaping and context-aware encoding for all dynamic content, following established security frameworks such as those recommended by the Open Web Application Security Project. Additionally, the affected applications should be updated to version 2.3.1 or later where the vulnerability has been patched, as this represents the primary remediation strategy. Network-level defenses including web application firewalls and security monitoring systems should also be configured to detect and block suspicious input patterns that may indicate attempted exploitation of this XSS vulnerability, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1566 which covers social engineering through malicious web content.