CVE-2012-4583 in Email
Summary
by MITRE
McAfee Email and Web Security (EWS) 5.x before 5.5 Patch 6 and 5.6 before Patch 3, and McAfee Email Gateway (MEG) 7.0 before Patch 1, allows remote authenticated users to obtain the session tokens of arbitrary users by navigating within the Dashboard.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/25/2018
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-4583 represents a critical session management flaw affecting McAfee Email and Web Security (EWS) and McAfee Email Gateway (MEG) products. This vulnerability resides in the authentication and session handling mechanisms of these email security solutions, specifically within their web-based management interfaces. The issue stems from inadequate session token validation and improper access controls that allow authenticated users to exploit a navigation path within the Dashboard component to access session tokens belonging to other users within the system. The flaw affects multiple versions including EWS 5.x before 5.5 Patch 6, EWS 5.6 before Patch 3, and MEG 7.0 before Patch 1, indicating a widespread vulnerability across different product lines and version ranges.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a specific navigation pattern within the web administration dashboard interface. An authenticated attacker who has gained access to any user account within the system can leverage the flawed session management to traverse the dashboard navigation paths and extract session tokens belonging to other users. This represents a classic session hijacking scenario where the attacker can impersonate legitimate users and potentially gain unauthorized access to administrative functions or sensitive email data. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires only basic authentication credentials to initiate the attack, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by users with minimal privileges.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant security risks for organizations relying on McAfee email security solutions. The ability to obtain arbitrary session tokens compromises the fundamental principle of user isolation within the system, potentially allowing attackers to escalate privileges and gain access to administrative functions. Organizations may face unauthorized access to email content, modification of security policies, and potential data exfiltration through compromised user sessions. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple credential theft, as session tokens often contain sufficient privileges to perform administrative actions within the email security infrastructure. This creates a pathway for attackers to establish persistent access and conduct long-term reconnaissance activities within the email environment.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-384, which addresses session management flaws that allow for session hijacking or fixation attacks. It also maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001, representing credential harvesting through phishing or other means, and T1078, which covers legitimate credentials for unauthorized access. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided patches for EWS 5.5 Patch 6 and 5.6 Patch 3, and MEG 7.0 Patch 1. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring of dashboard access patterns can help detect potential exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments of web-based management interfaces and implementation of proper session management controls including token regeneration and secure session handling practices are essential defensive measures. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of proper session management in security applications and the need for continuous security updates to address evolving threat landscapes.