CVE-2009-1631 in Evolution
Summary
by MITRE
The Mailer component in Evolution 2.26.1 and earlier uses world-readable permissions for the .evolution directory, and certain directories and files under .evolution/ related to local mail, which allows local users to obtain sensitive information by reading these files.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/11/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-1631 affects the Evolution email client version 2.26.1 and earlier, specifically targeting the Mailer component's handling of file permissions within the user's home directory. This issue represents a classic privilege escalation vulnerability where improper access control mechanisms allow unauthorized local users to gain access to sensitive information that should remain restricted to the legitimate user. The problem manifests through the creation of world-readable permissions for the .evolution directory and associated mail-related directories and files, fundamentally undermining the principle of least privilege that is essential for secure system operation.
The technical flaw stems from the Mailer component's failure to properly set restrictive permissions on sensitive data structures within the Evolution configuration hierarchy. When Evolution initializes its mail storage and configuration, it creates various directories and files under the .evolution path that contain user-specific mail data, account configurations, and potentially authentication credentials or session information. The vulnerability occurs because these files are created with permissions that allow any local user to read their contents, rather than being restricted to the owning user or specific system processes. This misconfiguration creates a clear information disclosure pathway that violates fundamental security principles and can be exploited by malicious local users to extract sensitive communication data.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially compromise user privacy and system security. Local users who can access these files may obtain details about email accounts, including server configurations, user credentials, and potentially message contents that could contain sensitive business or personal information. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects the mail storage component where users typically store confidential communications, making it a prime target for data exfiltration attacks. This issue can be exploited in environments where multiple users share the same system or where privilege escalation attacks are attempted, as it provides a persistent method for information gathering that can be leveraged for further attacks.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-732, which describes improper limitation of a privilege to a resource, and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this under T1083 (File and Directory Discovery) and potentially T1566 (Phishing) if the information gathered is used for social engineering attacks. The vulnerability also demonstrates poor secure coding practices in file permission management, where the application fails to implement proper access control mechanisms during file creation. Organizations should prioritize this remediation as it represents a low-effort, high-impact attack vector that can be exploited by any local user with basic system access, making it particularly dangerous in shared computing environments where proper access controls may not be enforced at the system level.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves updating to Evolution version 2.26.2 or later, which contains the necessary patch to properly enforce restrictive file permissions. System administrators should also conduct thorough audits of existing .evolution directories to identify and correct any improperly permissioned files that may have already been created. Additionally, implementing regular security monitoring to detect unauthorized access attempts to user mail directories can help identify potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing file integrity monitoring solutions that can alert on changes to critical user configuration files, providing additional defense-in-depth measures against similar vulnerabilities.