CVE-2017-14322 in Email Marketer
Summary
by MITRE
The function in charge to check whether the user is already logged in init.php in Interspire Email Marketer (IEM) prior to 6.1.6 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication and obtain administrative access by using the IEM_CookieLogin cookie with a specially crafted value.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/06/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-14322 affects Interspire Email Marketer versions prior to 6.1.6 and represents a critical authentication bypass flaw that allows remote attackers to gain administrative privileges. This issue stems from improper validation of authentication state within the application's initialization process, specifically in the init.php file where the system checks user login status. The vulnerability is particularly concerning as it enables unauthenticated attackers to bypass the entire authentication mechanism by manipulating a single cookie value, effectively undermining the application's security model.
The technical implementation of this flaw resides in the cookie-based authentication system where the IEM_CookieLogin cookie serves as a mechanism for maintaining user sessions. When an attacker crafts a specially formatted value for this cookie, the system fails to properly validate whether the user actually possesses valid credentials before granting administrative access. This weakness is categorized under CWE-287 which deals with improper authentication vulnerabilities, specifically addressing the scenario where authentication mechanisms can be bypassed through manipulation of authentication tokens or cookies. The vulnerability essentially creates a backdoor path where the system assumes administrative privileges based on cookie content without proper verification of user credentials.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple unauthorized access, as it provides attackers with complete administrative control over the email marketing platform. This level of access enables malicious actors to manipulate email campaigns, modify user accounts, access sensitive customer data, and potentially use the compromised system as a launching point for further attacks within the network. The vulnerability's remote exploitation capability means that attackers can leverage this flaw from anywhere on the internet without requiring physical access to the system or prior knowledge of valid user credentials, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that rely on IEM for their email marketing operations.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement the patch released by Interspire for version 6.1.6, which properly validates the authentication state before granting administrative privileges. The fix involves strengthening the cookie validation logic in init.php to ensure that any authentication token presented by the client must be verified against legitimate user sessions before access is granted. Security practitioners should also implement network monitoring to detect suspicious cookie values and consider implementing additional authentication layers such as multi-factor authentication to reduce the risk of successful exploitation. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to technique T1078 which covers valid accounts and T1566 which covers credential harvesting, highlighting the need for comprehensive monitoring and access control measures. Organizations should also conduct thorough security assessments to identify any other potential cookie-based authentication flaws and implement proper input validation and session management practices throughout their applications.