CVE-2015-2765 in TRITON AP-EMAIL
Summary
by MITRE
The Email Security Gateway in Websense TRITON AP-EMAIL before 8.0.0 allows remote attackers to conduct clickjacking attacks via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/15/2018
The CVE-2015-2765 vulnerability affects the Email Security Gateway component within Websense TRITON AP-EMAIL versions prior to 8.0.0, representing a significant security weakness that enables remote attackers to execute clickjacking attacks against unsuspecting users. This vulnerability resides in the web-based administrative interface of the security appliance, creating a dangerous attack surface that could be exploited to manipulate user interactions and potentially compromise the security posture of organizations relying on this email protection solution. The unspecified vectors suggest that the attack could be facilitated through various methods including malicious web pages, crafted email messages, or other delivery mechanisms that trick users into performing unintended actions within the targeted interface.
Clickjacking attacks exploit the fundamental principle that web browsers render content from different origins within the same context, allowing attackers to overlay transparent or opaque elements over legitimate user interface components. In the context of the Websense TRITON AP-EMAIL appliance, this vulnerability enables attackers to create deceptive interfaces where users believe they are interacting with legitimate administrative functions while actually performing actions controlled by the attacker. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning given that it affects an email security gateway, which typically operates with elevated privileges and handles sensitive email traffic, making successful exploitation potentially devastating for organizational security. The attack could enable unauthorized access to administrative functions, modification of security policies, or redirection of email traffic through manipulation of the user interface elements.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-2765 extends beyond simple user deception to potentially compromise the integrity and confidentiality of email communications within affected organizations. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to modify email filtering rules, bypass security controls, or even gain unauthorized access to the appliance's administrative console, which would provide them with comprehensive control over the email security policies and potentially expose sensitive network information. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers do not require physical access to the network or the appliance itself, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that do not properly isolate their email security appliances from untrusted network segments. This weakness directly violates security principles outlined in the CWE-200 category, which encompasses information exposure vulnerabilities, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 for user execution through malicious content delivery.
Organizations should immediately implement mitigations including updating to Websense TRITON AP-EMAIL version 8.0.0 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address the clickjacking vulnerability. Network segmentation should be enforced to limit access to the appliance's administrative interface to authorized personnel only, and additional security controls such as Content Security Policy headers and X-Frame-Options headers should be implemented to prevent the appliance's interface from being embedded within malicious web pages. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining current security software versions and implementing proper security monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other security appliances within the organization's infrastructure, as this represents a common class of vulnerability that affects many web-based administrative interfaces.