CVE-2011-4742 in Plesk Panel
Summary
by MITRE
The Control Panel in Parallels Plesk Panel 10.2.0 build 20110407.20 has web pages containing e-mail addresses that are not intended for correspondence about the local application deployment, which allows remote attackers to obtain potentially sensitive information by reading a page, as demonstrated by smb/user/list and certain other files.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/16/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-4742 resides within the Control Panel interface of Parallels Plesk Panel version 10.2.0 build 20110407.20, representing a significant information disclosure weakness that exposes sensitive data to unauthorized remote actors. This flaw manifests through the presence of email addresses within web pages that are not intended for public access, specifically appearing in administrative interfaces such as the smb/user/list endpoint and similar control panel components. The vulnerability falls under the category of information exposure, where sensitive system information is inadvertently revealed through web interface elements that should remain restricted to authorized administrative users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate access controls and information sanitization within the web application's user interface components. When remote attackers access specific control panel pages, they encounter email addresses that serve as contact points for system administrators or support personnel, but these addresses are not properly protected or filtered from public view. The exposure occurs at the application layer where user interface elements contain hard-coded or dynamically generated email addresses that are not restricted based on user authentication or authorization levels. This represents a classic case of insufficient privilege enforcement where administrative contact information is accessible without proper authentication mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it provides attackers with potential attack vectors for social engineering campaigns and targeted phishing attempts. The exposed email addresses could be used to craft convincing spear-phishing attacks against system administrators, potentially leading to further compromise of the Plesk panel or underlying systems. The vulnerability affects the broader security posture of the hosting environment by providing attackers with legitimate contact points that could be exploited for credential harvesting or privilege escalation attempts. Additionally, the exposure of administrative contact information may reveal internal organizational structures and communication patterns that could aid in planning more sophisticated attacks against the hosting infrastructure.
From a cybersecurity framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses information exposure, and demonstrates weaknesses in access control mechanisms that should prevent unauthorized information disclosure. The issue also relates to ATT&CK technique T1592, which involves reconnaissance activities focused on identifying and gathering information about target systems. Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including access control restrictions, web application firewall rules to block access to sensitive administrative endpoints, and regular security audits of web interface components. The remediation process should involve comprehensive code review of the control panel interface to ensure that no sensitive information is exposed through web pages, particularly in areas where user access controls are insufficient or improperly implemented.