CVE-2017-3105 in RoboHelp
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe RoboHelp has an Open Redirect vulnerability. This affects versions before RH12.0.4.460 and RH2017 before RH2017.0.2.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/25/2021
Adobe RoboHelp versions prior to 12.0.4.460 and 2017.0.2.0 contain an open redirect vulnerability that allows attackers to manipulate URL redirection parameters within the application. This flaw exists in the handling of external link references and internal navigation mechanisms, where user-supplied input is not properly validated or sanitized before being used to construct redirect URLs. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation in the application's hyperlink processing functionality, which permits malicious actors to craft specially formatted URLs that will redirect users to arbitrary external domains. This open redirect behavior can be exploited through various attack vectors including phishing campaigns, social engineering attempts, and malicious website redirection. The flaw is particularly concerning because it can be leveraged to deceive users into visiting malicious websites while appearing to originate from a trusted RoboHelp application context. The vulnerability directly maps to CWE-601 Open Redirect vulnerability category, which is classified under the broader weakness of URL redirection and forwarding. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability could be categorized under T1566.001 Initial Access: Phishing with malicious links, where the open redirect serves as a delivery mechanism for further attacks. The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple redirection as it can be combined with other attack techniques to create more sophisticated threats. Attackers can use the open redirect to bypass security measures that might otherwise block direct access to malicious domains, making it easier to deliver malware or conduct credential harvesting attacks. The vulnerability affects users who interact with RoboHelp documents containing external links or navigation elements that are processed by the affected application versions. Users may inadvertently be redirected to phishing sites or malicious domains when clicking on seemingly legitimate links within RoboHelp content. The risk is particularly elevated in enterprise environments where RoboHelp is used for documentation and training materials that contain numerous external references. Organizations using older versions of RoboHelp should immediately update to the patched versions to mitigate this risk, as the vulnerability does not require any special privileges or authentication to exploit. The fix implemented by Adobe addresses the input validation issue by ensuring that all redirect URLs are properly validated against a whitelist of approved domains or by implementing strict URL parsing and sanitization routines. Security teams should monitor for any exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability through network traffic analysis and web application firewall rules that can detect suspicious redirect patterns. This vulnerability highlights the importance of input validation in web applications and demonstrates how seemingly minor flaws in URL handling can create significant security risks for end users. The open redirect vulnerability in RoboHelp represents a classic example of how insecure programming practices can lead to exploitation opportunities that compromise user security and trust in legitimate applications.