CVE-2014-9587 in Roundcube
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site request forgery (CSRF) vulnerabilities in Roundcube Webmail before 1.0.4 allow remote attackers to hijack the authentication of unspecified victims via unknown vectors, related to (1) address book operations or the (2) ACL or (3) Managesieve plugins.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/07/2024
The CVE-2014-9587 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw affecting Roundcube Webmail versions prior to 1.0.4. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-352 category, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Request Forgery weaknesses in software applications. The flaw enables remote attackers to exploit the webmail system by tricking users into executing unintended actions without their knowledge or consent, creating a significant security risk for organizations relying on this email platform.
The vulnerability manifests in three distinct plugin areas within Roundcube Webmail, specifically targeting address book operations, ACL management functions, and Managesieve plugin functionalities. These attack vectors allow adversaries to manipulate user sessions and potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive email data or administrative controls. The unspecified nature of the victim authentication hijacking mechanism suggests that attackers could leverage various techniques to exploit the CSRF weakness, including crafting malicious web pages or utilizing social engineering approaches to诱导 users into triggering unauthorized operations.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses severe risks to organizations using Roundcube Webmail as their primary email solution. Attackers could potentially modify user address books, alter access control lists, or manipulate sieve rules that govern email filtering and routing. The consequences extend beyond simple data modification, as these operations could lead to complete account compromise, unauthorized email forwarding, or the ability to execute administrative functions through the compromised user sessions. The vulnerability's presence in core plugins like ACL and Managesieve indicates that attackers could gain elevated privileges or manipulate critical email processing rules.
The attack surface for CVE-2014-9587 aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which focuses on credential access through phishing and social engineering methods. This particular vulnerability represents a classic CSRF attack where the malicious actor leverages the victim's authenticated session to perform actions on their behalf. The fact that this vulnerability affects multiple plugins demonstrates how CSRF flaws in web applications can compound security risks when multiple attack vectors exist within a single platform. Organizations utilizing Roundcube Webmail were particularly vulnerable to this issue, as the CSRF protection mechanisms were insufficient to prevent unauthorized operations across these critical components.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-9587 primarily involve upgrading to Roundcube Webmail version 1.0.4 or later, which includes proper CSRF token implementation and validation. Security teams should also implement additional protective measures such as configuring proper HTTP headers including Content Security Policy directives, implementing robust session management controls, and conducting regular security assessments of web applications. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions and implementing comprehensive security controls to protect against session hijacking and unauthorized access attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring for suspicious activities that might indicate CSRF attack attempts targeting their email infrastructure.