CVE-2011-4760 in Plesk Small Business Panel
Summary
by MITRE
Parallels Plesk Small Business Panel 10.2.0 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/email-address/list and certain other files.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/28/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-4760 resides within Parallels Plesk Small Business Panel version 10.2.0, representing a sensitive information disclosure flaw that exposes email addresses intended for internal administrative purposes. This weakness manifests through web pages that inadvertently include email addresses not meant for public consumption, creating an information exposure risk that can be exploited by remote attackers. The specific attack vector involves accessing certain web pages such as smb/email-address/list and related files where these unintended email addresses are rendered in plaintext, allowing unauthorized parties to harvest contact information that could serve as a starting point for further reconnaissance activities.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which categorizes information exposure issues where sensitive data is disclosed to unauthorized parties. The flaw represents a classic case of insufficient access control or improper data handling within the web application's user interface components. When users navigate to the affected pages, the application fails to properly sanitize or restrict access to email addresses that are part of the internal administrative infrastructure, thereby violating the principle of least privilege and exposing potentially sensitive contact information. This type of vulnerability falls under the broader category of data leakage through web interfaces, where internal system details are inadvertently exposed through web-based administrative panels.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for organizations deploying Plesk Small Business Panel 10.2.0, as it enables remote attackers to gather intelligence about the system's administrative structure. The exposed email addresses could be used for targeted phishing campaigns, social engineering attacks, or to identify key personnel within the organization's technical infrastructure. Attackers could leverage this information to craft more convincing spear-phishing emails or to understand the communication patterns within the organization's administrative team. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure, as these email addresses may be associated with privileged accounts or administrative functions that could be targeted for further exploitation attempts.
The security implications of this vulnerability are compounded by the fact that it operates at the application layer without requiring authentication or specialized tools, making it particularly dangerous. Remote attackers can systematically harvest email addresses from multiple pages within the application, potentially building comprehensive contact lists for the target organization. This vulnerability also demonstrates poor input validation and output sanitization practices within the web application's interface components, where the system fails to properly distinguish between internal administrative information and publicly accessible content. Organizations should consider implementing proper access controls and content filtering mechanisms to prevent such information exposure, while also ensuring that administrative interfaces properly separate internal communication details from externally accessible web content.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-4760 should include immediate patching of the affected Plesk version to address the information disclosure vulnerability, along with implementing proper access controls on administrative web pages to prevent unauthorized exposure of internal contact information. Organizations should also establish regular security assessments of their web applications to identify similar information disclosure vulnerabilities, particularly focusing on administrative interfaces where internal communication details might be inadvertently exposed. The implementation of web application firewalls and content filtering mechanisms can provide additional protection layers, while proper security training for developers regarding output sanitization and access control practices can help prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future versions of the application.