CVE-2010-3213 in Outlook Web Access
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook Web Access (owa/ev.owa) 2007 through SP2 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of e-mail users for requests that perform Outlook requests, as demonstrated by setting the auto-forward rule.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/21/2025
The CVE-2010-3213 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw discovered in Microsoft Outlook Web Access versions 2007 through Service Pack 2. This vulnerability resides within the web-based email interface that millions of enterprise users rely on for daily communication. The flaw specifically affects the owa/ev.owa endpoint which serves as the primary interface for managing email settings and user preferences through the web client. The vulnerability enables remote attackers to manipulate authenticated user sessions without their knowledge or consent, effectively allowing unauthorized actions to be performed on behalf of legitimate users.
The technical nature of this CSRF vulnerability stems from the absence of proper validation mechanisms for state-changing requests within the Outlook Web Access interface. When a user visits a malicious website or clicks on a crafted link, the attacker can construct HTTP requests that leverage the user's existing authenticated session with OWA. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the application layer where user authentication tokens are accepted without sufficient verification of the request origin. This allows attackers to execute administrative functions such as setting up auto-forward rules, which can redirect all incoming emails to attacker-controlled addresses, thereby enabling persistent email monitoring and data exfiltration.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple email manipulation to encompass significant security risks for enterprise environments. Attackers can leverage this flaw to establish persistent access points within organizations by configuring email forwarding rules that redirect sensitive communications to external addresses. The vulnerability affects the fundamental security model of the web-based email interface, undermining the trust relationship between users and the application. Organizations using Outlook Web Access without proper mitigations face potential data breaches, unauthorized access to confidential communications, and the establishment of backdoors for future attacks. The attack vector is particularly insidious because it requires no specialized tools or deep technical knowledge, making it accessible to threat actors of varying skill levels.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-3213 should focus on implementing robust CSRF protection mechanisms within the application layer. Organizations should deploy anti-CSRF tokens that are generated per session and validated for each state-changing request. The implementation should follow established security patterns such as those recommended in the OWASP CSRF Prevention Cheat Sheet and align with CWE-352 standards for cross-site request forgery protection. Microsoft released patches addressing this vulnerability through security updates, and organizations should ensure all systems are properly updated. Network-based protections including web application firewalls and strict content security policies can provide additional layers of defense. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and the implementation of security monitoring tools that can detect anomalous patterns in user behavior and configuration changes within email systems. This flaw serves as a reminder of the critical need for comprehensive security controls in web-based applications and the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches across enterprise environments.