CVE-2012-4597 in E-Mail Gateway
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in McAfee Email and Web Security (EWS) 5.5 through Patch 6 and 5.6 through Patch 3, and McAfee Email Gateway (MEG) 7.0.0 and 7.0.1, allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via vectors related to the McAfee Security Appliance Management Console/Dashboard.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/27/2021
This cross-site scripting vulnerability exists within McAfee's email and web security appliances, specifically affecting versions 5.5 through Patch 6 and 5.6 through Patch 3 of Email and Web Security, as well as versions 7.0.0 and 7.0.1 of Email Gateway. The flaw resides in the management console and dashboard interfaces of these security appliances, creating a significant attack surface that enables remote threat actors to execute malicious code within the context of authenticated user sessions. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within the web-based administrative interfaces, allowing attackers to inject malicious scripts that can be executed by other users who access the compromised management console.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability involves the improper handling of user-supplied input within the appliance's web interface components. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads that are then stored or reflected within the management console, subsequently executing when other users navigate to affected pages. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and script injection. The attack vector leverages the trust relationship between the legitimate user and the management interface, making it particularly dangerous as it can be used to escalate privileges, steal session tokens, or redirect users to malicious sites.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can enable attackers to compromise the entire security appliance infrastructure. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain unauthorized access to sensitive configuration data, modify security policies, or even redirect email traffic through the compromised appliance. This represents a critical threat to enterprise email security, as the management console typically contains administrative credentials and system configuration details that could be leveraged for further attacks. The vulnerability's presence in multiple product versions indicates a systemic issue in the input sanitization processes, potentially affecting organizations that rely on these appliances for email security and web filtering operations.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the latest security patches from McAfee, which address the specific input validation issues in the management console. Network segmentation and access controls should be enforced to limit administrative access to only trusted users and systems. Regular monitoring of web application logs for suspicious activity and implementing content security policies can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Additionally, security awareness training for administrators is crucial to prevent social engineering attacks that might complement this technical vulnerability. The remediation process should also include thorough testing of the patched environments to ensure that the XSS vulnerability is fully resolved while maintaining all existing security functionality.