CVE-2012-2996 in InterScan Messaging Security Suite
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerability in saveAccountSubTab.imss in Trend Micro InterScan Messaging Security Suite 7.1-Build_Win32_1394 allows remote attackers to hijack the authentication of administrators for requests that create admin accounts via a saveAuth action.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/11/2024
The CVE-2012-2996 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw within Trend Micro InterScan Messaging Security Suite version 7.1, specifically affecting the saveAccountSubTab.imss component. This vulnerability exists in the web-based administrative interface and enables remote attackers to exploit the authentication mechanism by crafting malicious requests that appear to originate from legitimate administrators. The flaw stems from the absence of proper anti-CSRF token validation in the affected administrative endpoint, allowing unauthorized actors to perform administrative actions without proper authentication. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it targets the administrative account creation functionality, potentially enabling attackers to establish persistent backdoor access to the messaging security infrastructure.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the exploitation of a weakness in the application's session management and request validation mechanisms. When administrators perform account management operations through the web interface, the system should validate that requests originate from authenticated users with proper authorization. However, the saveAccountSubTab.imss component fails to properly verify the authenticity of requests, specifically missing the required CSRF protection tokens. This allows attackers to craft specially crafted web requests that leverage the existing administrator session to execute administrative functions such as creating new administrator accounts. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited through various attack vectors including phishing emails, compromised web pages, or social engineering campaigns that trick administrators into visiting malicious sites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for organizations utilizing Trend Micro InterScan Messaging Security Suite, as it provides attackers with the capability to escalate privileges and gain persistent administrative access to their messaging infrastructure. Once exploited, an attacker can create new administrative accounts with full privileges, effectively bypassing all existing security controls and authentication mechanisms. This creates a persistent threat that can remain undetected for extended periods, allowing attackers to modify security policies, configure email filtering rules, exfiltrate sensitive communications, and potentially use the compromised system as a pivot point for attacking other network resources. The vulnerability affects organizations that rely on this messaging security solution for email protection and compliance management, potentially exposing sensitive corporate communications and undermining the security posture of the entire messaging infrastructure.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches and updates for Trend Micro InterScan Messaging Security Suite. The vulnerability can be addressed through proper CSRF token implementation in the affected web components, ensuring that all administrative operations require valid authentication tokens that are tied to the current user session. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual administrative account creation activities. Security teams should also implement web application firewall rules to block suspicious requests to the vulnerable endpoint and establish strict access controls for administrative interfaces. According to CWE standards, this vulnerability maps to CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as privilege escalation through web application exploitation, potentially leading to persistence and lateral movement within the network. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other web applications and ensure comprehensive protection against similar attack vectors.