CVE-2009-0030 in SquirrelMail
Summary
by MITRE
A certain Red Hat patch for SquirrelMail 1.4.8 sets the same SQMSESSID cookie value for all sessions, which allows remote authenticated users to access other users folder lists and configuration data in opportunistic circumstances by using the standard webmail.php interface. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incorrect fix for CVE-2008-3663.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2009-0030 represents a critical session management flaw in SquirrelMail webmail software that emerged from an inadequate security patch. This issue affects version 1.4.8 of SquirrelMail and demonstrates how poorly implemented fixes can create new attack vectors while failing to resolve existing security concerns. The vulnerability specifically targets the session identifier mechanism that should uniquely distinguish between different user sessions within the webmail application. When Red Hat released their patch for CVE-2008-3663, they introduced a regression that inadvertently caused all user sessions to share identical session identifiers, fundamentally undermining the authentication and authorization controls that protect user data isolation.
The technical flaw manifests through the improper implementation of session management where the SQMSESSID cookie value becomes static across all user sessions rather than being dynamically generated for each individual authentication event. This design error creates a scenario where authenticated users can exploit the shared session identifier to gain unauthorized access to other users' folder lists and configuration data through the standard webmail.php interface. The vulnerability operates under opportunistic conditions, meaning that attackers do not need sophisticated techniques or privileged access to exploit it - they simply need to be authenticated to the system and leverage the predictable session identifiers to navigate between user accounts. This weakness directly violates fundamental security principles of user isolation and access control that are essential for web applications handling sensitive email communications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially enable broader unauthorized access to email data and user configuration settings. Attackers could access not only folder structures but also potentially sensitive configuration data that might reveal system internals, user preferences, or other metadata that could be used for further exploitation. The vulnerability affects the core authentication and authorization mechanisms of the webmail system, creating a persistent risk that remains active as long as the flawed patch remains in place. This represents a particularly dangerous issue in collaborative environments where multiple users access shared email systems, as it allows for cross-user data access that could compromise privacy and potentially enable more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-305 authentication weakness and falls under ATT&CK technique T1566 for credential access through session hijacking.
The remediation approach requires immediate replacement of the flawed Red Hat patch with a proper session management implementation that generates unique session identifiers for each user authentication event. Organizations should implement proper session management controls that include random session ID generation, appropriate session timeout mechanisms, and robust session invalidation procedures. Additionally, system administrators should conduct thorough security assessments to ensure that all session management components function correctly and that no other similar regressions exist in the patched codebase. The vulnerability highlights the importance of comprehensive testing of security patches and the need for careful review of authentication mechanisms before deployment, as the initial fix for CVE-2008-3663 inadvertently created a more severe security problem than the original vulnerability.