CVE-2017-20188 in zm-ajax
Summary
by MITRE • 01/02/2024
A vulnerability has been found in Zimbra zm-ajax up to 8.8.1 and classified as problematic. Affected by this vulnerability is the function XFormItem.prototype.setError of the file WebRoot/js/ajax/dwt/xforms/XFormItem.js. The manipulation of the argument message leads to cross site scripting. The attack can be launched remotely. The complexity of an attack is rather high. The exploitation appears to be difficult. Upgrading to version 8.8.2 is able to address this issue. The identifier of the patch is 8d039d6efe80780adc40c6f670c06d21de272105. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component. The identifier VDB-249421 was assigned to this vulnerability.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/22/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-20188 represents a cross-site scripting flaw within the Zimbra collaboration suite, specifically affecting versions up to 8.8.1. This issue resides in the zm-ajax component and particularly impacts the XFormItem.prototype.setError function located in WebRoot/js/ajax/dwt/xforms/XFormItem.js. The vulnerability classification as problematic indicates a significant security risk that requires immediate attention from system administrators and security teams responsible for maintaining Zimbra deployments.
The technical flaw manifests when an attacker manipulates the message argument passed to the setError function, allowing malicious script execution within the context of a victim's browser session. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-79, which specifically addresses Cross-Site Scripting attacks, making it a well-documented and dangerous security weakness in web applications. The XSS vulnerability occurs because the application fails to properly sanitize or escape user input before rendering it in the browser, creating an environment where attacker-controlled data can be executed as scripts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is substantial as it enables remote code execution capabilities through web-based attacks. Attackers can leverage this flaw to inject malicious scripts that can steal session cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or perform actions on behalf of authenticated users. The high attack complexity and difficult exploitation requirements suggest that while the vulnerability exists, it may require sophisticated techniques or specific conditions to successfully compromise systems. However, the potential for serious damage remains significant given the privileged nature of email systems and the sensitive data they handle.
Security professionals should prioritize upgrading affected Zimbra installations to version 8.8.2 or later, as this release contains the necessary patch identified by the commit hash 8d039d6efe80780adc40c6f670c06d21de272105. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of the upgrade in a staging environment before deployment to production systems. Additionally, organizations should implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and consider implementing additional security controls such as Content Security Policy headers to mitigate the impact of similar vulnerabilities. The vulnerability identifier VDB-249421 serves as a reference point for security researchers and database maintainers to track and correlate this specific flaw within the broader security landscape. Organizations should also conduct regular security assessments of their email infrastructure to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities that could compromise their email security posture.