CVE-2016-4869 in Cybozu Office
Summary
by MITRE
Cybozu Office 9.0.0 through 10.4.0 allows remote attackers to obtain session information from users.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/31/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-4869 affects Cybozu Office versions 9.0.0 through 10.4.0, representing a critical session management flaw that exposes user authentication tokens to remote attackers. This issue falls under the category of improper session handling as defined by CWE-613, where the application fails to properly secure session identifiers, making them accessible to unauthorized parties. The vulnerability stems from insufficient protection mechanisms that allow malicious actors to intercept or extract session information during user interactions with the office application, potentially compromising user authentication states and access privileges. This weakness represents a fundamental breakdown in the application's security architecture, particularly concerning how it manages and protects user sessions within its web-based interface.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through the improper handling of session cookies or tokens within the Cybozu Office application's communication protocols. Attackers can exploit this flaw by leveraging network sniffing techniques or by crafting malicious requests that target the session management components of the application. The vulnerability specifically affects the session information that is transmitted between client and server components, allowing unauthorized parties to obtain valid session identifiers that can be used to impersonate legitimate users. This exposure occurs without requiring authentication or privileged access, making the attack surface particularly broad and dangerous for organizations relying on this software platform.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-4869 extends beyond simple information disclosure, as compromised session information can lead to full account takeover scenarios and unauthorized access to sensitive corporate data. Organizations using affected versions of Cybozu Office face significant risk of data breaches, privilege escalation attacks, and potential lateral movement within their networks. The vulnerability directly impacts the confidentiality and integrity of user sessions, as attackers can establish persistent access to user accounts without requiring additional credentials or exploitation techniques. This weakness creates an entry point for attackers to perform actions as authenticated users, potentially leading to data exfiltration, system compromise, or further network infiltration attempts.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate software updates to versions that address the session management flaw, as recommended by the vendor and security advisories. Organizations must implement network monitoring to detect suspicious session-related traffic patterns and deploy proper session handling mechanisms including secure cookie attributes, proper session timeout configurations, and robust session regeneration practices. The remediation process should also include reviewing access controls and implementing additional authentication layers such as multi-factor authentication to reduce the impact of potential session compromise. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing session-related security incidents. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers credential harvesting through various means including session manipulation and token theft.