CVE-2009-2964 in SquirrelMail
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in SquirrelMail 1.4.19 and earlier, and NaSMail before 1.7, allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of unspecified victims via features such as send message and change preferences, related to (1) functions/mailbox_display.php, (2) src/addrbook_search_html.php, (3) src/addressbook.php, (4) src/compose.php, (5) src/folders.php, (6) src/folders_create.php, (7) src/folders_delete.php, (8) src/folders_rename_do.php, (9) src/folders_rename_getname.php, (10) src/folders_subscribe.php, (11) src/move_messages.php, (12) src/options.php, (13) src/options_highlight.php, (14) src/options_identities.php, (15) src/options_order.php, (16) src/search.php, and (17) src/vcard.php.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2009-2964 represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting popular web-based email clients SquirrelMail and NaSMail. This weakness stems from the absence of proper request validation mechanisms within the affected applications, allowing malicious actors to exploit the trust relationship between users and the web application. The vulnerability affects versions up to SquirrelMail 1.4.19 and NaSMail before 1.7, making it particularly concerning given the widespread deployment of these email platforms in enterprise and organizational environments. The flaw manifests through multiple attack vectors across various components of the email client's functionality, creating a broad surface area for exploitation.
The technical implementation of this CSRF vulnerability occurs when legitimate users interact with web forms and actions that modify application state without proper anti-CSRF token validation. The affected files span core functionality including mailbox display operations, address book management, message composition, folder manipulation, and user preference settings. Attackers can craft malicious web pages or emails containing hidden form submissions that automatically execute actions on behalf of authenticated users. These attacks exploit the fact that web browsers automatically include authentication cookies with requests to the target domain, enabling unauthorized operations such as sending messages, modifying user preferences, or changing folder configurations without the user's knowledge or consent.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft or modification. An attacker could potentially gain persistent access to user mailboxes, manipulate email routing and filtering rules, or establish unauthorized email forwarding. The attack requires minimal user interaction beyond visiting a malicious webpage or clicking on a compromised link, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or social engineering attacks. The vulnerability affects the fundamental security model of these web applications by undermining the principle of least privilege and user consent. According to CWE-352, this represents a classic cross-site request forgery weakness where the application fails to validate the origin of requests, allowing unauthorized operations to be performed on behalf of authenticated users.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate implementation of anti-CSRF token mechanisms throughout the affected application components. The most effective approach involves generating unique, unpredictable tokens for each user session and validating them against every state-changing request. Organizations should implement proper session management controls and ensure that all forms and actions requiring authentication include CSRF protection. The remediation process must address all seventeen identified files and components mentioned in the vulnerability description, ensuring that no attack vector remains unpatched. Security best practices recommend implementing the double-submit cookie pattern or using frameworks that automatically handle CSRF protection. This vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security audits and code reviews, particularly for web applications handling sensitive user data. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a privilege escalation technique through web application vulnerabilities, where attackers leverage existing authenticated sessions to perform unauthorized actions. Organizations should also implement network monitoring to detect suspicious patterns of automated requests and consider deploying web application firewalls to provide additional protection layers against such attacks.