CVE-2017-8928 in mailcow
Summary
by MITRE
mailcow 0.14, as used in "mailcow: dockerized" and other products, has CSRF.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/07/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-8928 represents a cross-site request forgery issue discovered in mailcow version 0.14 and its associated "mailcow: dockerized" deployment. This security flaw affects email server implementations that utilize the mailcow platform, which is designed to provide a complete email server solution using dockerized containers. The vulnerability resides within the web interface components of the mailcow system, specifically in how it handles user authentication tokens and request validation mechanisms.
Cross-site request forgery vulnerabilities occur when an attacker can trick authenticated users into executing unintended actions on a web application where they are currently logged in. In the context of mailcow, this means that an attacker could potentially manipulate the email server configuration, create new email accounts, modify existing user permissions, or perform other administrative functions without the user's knowledge or consent. The flaw stems from the absence or improper implementation of anti-CSRF tokens in the web application's forms and API endpoints, allowing malicious actors to craft requests that appear legitimate to the server.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it fundamentally compromises the integrity of the email server's administrative functions. An attacker who successfully exploits this CSRF vulnerability could gain unauthorized access to sensitive email data, modify email routing configurations, disable user accounts, or even establish persistent backdoors within the email infrastructure. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because email servers often contain highly sensitive information including personal communications, business correspondence, and potentially confidential data that organizations rely upon for their operations. The attack surface is broad as the vulnerability affects not only the mailcow platform itself but also other products that incorporate this version of the software.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-352, which specifically addresses cross-site request forgery weaknesses in web applications. This classification indicates that the flaw involves insufficient validation of requests originating from unauthorized sources, particularly those that exploit the trust relationship between the web application and its authenticated users. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and initial access through web application exploitation. Organizations using mailcow 0.14 should immediately implement mitigations including the proper implementation of anti-CSRF tokens, validation of referer headers, and enforcement of strict origin validation. Additionally, network segmentation, regular security audits, and user education regarding suspicious email attachments or links are recommended defensive measures to reduce the risk of exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input validation and authentication token management in web applications, particularly those handling sensitive data such as email server configurations and user communications.