CVE-2013-6364 in Groupware Webmail Edition
Summary
by MITRE
Horde Groupware Webmail Edition has CSRF and XSS when saving search as a virtual address book
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/29/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-6364 affects Horde Groupware Webmail Edition, a widely used web-based email and collaboration platform that serves as a target for cybercriminals seeking to exploit web application flaws. This particular vulnerability manifests as a combination of cross-site request forgery and cross-site scripting weaknesses that occur during the process of saving search queries as virtual address books within the application's interface. The flaw exists in the web application's handling of user input and session management mechanisms, creating a pathway for malicious actors to manipulate the application's behavior without proper authorization.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient validation and sanitization of user-supplied data within the address book creation functionality. When users attempt to save search results as virtual address books, the application fails to properly authenticate and validate the requests originating from the user interface. This weakness allows attackers to craft malicious requests that appear legitimate to the application's security mechanisms, enabling them to perform unauthorized actions on behalf of authenticated users. The cross-site request forgery component specifically exploits the absence of proper anti-forgery tokens or similar protective measures that should validate the authenticity of requests originating from the application's own interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation, as it provides attackers with a foothold for more sophisticated attacks within the target environment. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could potentially access sensitive email communications, manipulate user address books, and potentially escalate privileges within the application. The cross-site scripting component adds another dimension of risk, as it allows for the execution of malicious scripts within the context of the victim's browser session, potentially leading to session hijacking, credential theft, or redirection to malicious websites. The combination of these vulnerabilities creates a particularly dangerous attack vector that can be exploited to compromise entire user sessions and potentially gain access to additional system resources.
Security professionals should recognize this vulnerability as a variant of CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications, and CWE-79, which covers cross-site scripting vulnerabilities. The attack patterns associated with this vulnerability align with techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1071.004 tactic for application layer protocol usage and T1566 for credential access through social engineering and web application attacks. Organizations utilizing Horde Groupware Webmail Edition should implement immediate mitigations including the deployment of proper anti-forgery tokens, input validation for all user-supplied data, and comprehensive output encoding to prevent XSS exploitation. Additionally, regular security assessments and application updates should be prioritized to address similar vulnerabilities that may exist in other components of the webmail platform.