CVE-2017-5658 in Pony Mail
Summary
by MITRE
The statistics generator in Apache Pony Mail 0.7 to 0.9 was found to be returning timestamp data without proper authorization checks. This could lead to derived information disclosure on private lists about the timing of specific email subjects or text bodies, though without disclosing the content itself. As this was primarily used as a caching feature for faster loading times, the caching was disabled by default to prevent this. Users using 0.9 should upgrade to 0.10 to address this issue.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/29/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-5658 affects Apache Pony Mail versions 0.7 through 0.9, specifically targeting the statistics generator component that handles timestamp data retrieval. This flaw represents a significant privacy concern within email list management systems where unauthorized access to temporal metadata could reveal sensitive information about communication patterns and activities. The vulnerability stems from inadequate authorization controls within the statistics generation mechanism that processes timestamp information from email archives.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability resides in the statistics generator's failure to validate user permissions before returning timestamp data associated with email messages. This authorization bypass allows malicious actors or unauthorized users to access timing information about specific email subjects or text bodies without proper authentication. The flaw operates at the application layer and can be categorized under CWE-284 Access Control Issues, specifically involving insufficient authorization checks for sensitive data. The vulnerability does not expose the actual content of emails but rather provides temporal metadata that can be used to infer patterns of communication, timing of sensitive discussions, or activity schedules on private mailing lists.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it enables adversaries to derive meaningful insights about private communication patterns and user behavior. Attackers could potentially correlate timestamp data with known events or activities to infer sensitive information about organizational operations, strategic planning, or personal activities. The statistics generator's caching functionality, designed to improve system performance by pre-computing data, inadvertently created a security risk when the caching mechanism was enabled by default. This represents a classic case where performance optimization features were implemented without proper security considerations, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1005 Data from Local System, where adversaries collect information from system components that should be restricted.
The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal technical expertise and can be accomplished through standard web application interaction methods. Users with access to private lists could query the statistics API endpoints and receive timestamp information that reveals when specific email threads were initiated or responded to. The caching feature was disabled by default in version 0.10 as a security measure, but this default configuration was not sufficient to prevent exploitation in environments where administrators had enabled caching for performance reasons. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of security-by-design principles where performance optimizations should not compromise access control mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-5658 require immediate action from affected organizations, including upgrading to Apache Pony Mail version 0.10 or later where the vulnerability has been addressed. Administrators should review their current configurations to ensure that statistics caching is either disabled or properly secured with appropriate authorization controls. Security teams should implement monitoring for unauthorized access attempts to statistics endpoints and consider implementing additional access controls for sensitive metadata. The vulnerability serves as a reminder that even seemingly benign features like caching can introduce security risks when proper authorization checks are not implemented. Organizations should conduct comprehensive security reviews of all application components that handle metadata or temporal information, particularly in systems managing private communications or sensitive data. The fix implemented in version 0.10 demonstrates the importance of maintaining current software versions and the critical role of security patches in addressing authorization vulnerabilities that could compromise user privacy and data confidentiality.