CVE-2013-7104 in Email Gateway
Summary
by MITRE
McAfee Email Gateway 7.6 allows remote authenticated administrators to execute arbitrary commands by specifying them in the value attribute in a (1) Command or (2) Script XML element. NOTE: this issue can be combined with CVE-2013-7092 to allow remote attackers to execute commands.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/12/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-7104 affects McAfee Email Gateway version 7.6 and represents a critical remote code execution flaw that can be exploited by authenticated administrators. This vulnerability resides within the XML processing functionality of the email gateway system, specifically in how it handles command and script execution through XML elements. The flaw allows an authenticated attacker with administrative privileges to inject and execute arbitrary commands on the underlying system by manipulating the value attribute within Command or Script XML elements. This represents a severe privilege escalation vulnerability that could potentially be leveraged for complete system compromise.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the XML parser component of the McAfee Email Gateway. When the system processes XML elements containing Command or Script tags, it fails to properly validate or sanitize the value attribute contents, allowing maliciously crafted input to bypass security controls and execute unintended system commands. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and requires authentication to exploit, but once exploited, it provides an attacker with the ability to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the email gateway service account. This flaw aligns with CWE-94, which describes "Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')" and demonstrates how XML injection vulnerabilities can be leveraged for remote code execution in enterprise security appliances.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-7104 is substantial as it can be combined with CVE-2013-7092 to create a complete remote code execution scenario. When exploited in conjunction with the related vulnerability, an attacker could potentially achieve remote code execution without requiring local access or additional authentication. The attack vector involves sending specially crafted XML requests to the email gateway's administrative interface, which then processes these requests and executes the embedded commands. This vulnerability affects organizations that rely on McAfee Email Gateway for email security and could result in data breaches, system compromise, and unauthorized access to sensitive email communications. The vulnerability exists in the context of enterprise email security appliances and represents a significant risk to organizations with email infrastructure that has not been patched.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches for McAfee Email Gateway version 7.6, disabling unnecessary administrative interfaces, and implementing network segmentation to limit access to the email gateway. Additionally, monitoring for suspicious XML traffic patterns and implementing strict access controls for administrative accounts should be considered as defensive measures. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of secure XML processing and input validation in enterprise security appliances, highlighting the need for proper sanitization of user-supplied data before processing. Organizations should also consider implementing network-based intrusion detection systems to monitor for exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures to address potential compromise of email gateway systems. This vulnerability underscores the critical nature of patch management and the potential for authenticated privilege escalation vulnerabilities to result in complete system compromise in security infrastructure components.