CVE-2017-9517 in Atmail
Summary
by MITRE
atmail before 7.8.0.2 has CSRF, allowing an attacker to upload and import users via CSV.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/14/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-9517 affects atmail versions prior to 7.8.0.2 and represents a critical cross-site request forgery flaw that enables unauthorized user account creation and data manipulation. This vulnerability resides within the web-based administration interface of the email server software, where proper authentication and authorization mechanisms fail to validate incoming requests. The flaw specifically impacts the user import functionality that accepts CSV file uploads, creating an avenue for malicious actors to leverage social engineering or compromised user sessions to execute unauthorized actions. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-352, which defines cross-site request forgery as a weakness where the application fails to validate that requests originate from legitimate sources rather than being crafted by attackers. This weakness directly maps to the ATT&CK framework under T1212, which describes exploitation of application vulnerabilities to bypass security controls.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability allows an attacker to craft malicious web pages or email attachments that, when viewed or clicked by an authenticated atmail user, automatically submit requests to the vulnerable application. These requests can trigger CSV import functionality without proper user consent or authentication, enabling the attacker to programmatically add new users to the email system. The vulnerability exploits the lack of anti-CSRF tokens or other validation mechanisms within the import endpoint, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged without requiring the attacker to have direct administrative credentials. The impact extends beyond simple user creation to potentially allow privilege escalation, data exfiltration, and system compromise through the manipulation of user accounts within the email infrastructure.
The operational consequences of this vulnerability are severe for organizations relying on atmail email services, as it provides a straightforward path for attackers to establish persistent access through user account manipulation. An attacker could create multiple user accounts with administrative privileges or establish backdoor access points within the email system, potentially compromising the entire email infrastructure. The vulnerability also poses risks to data integrity and confidentiality, as unauthorized users could be imported with malicious configurations or access patterns. Organizations may experience unauthorized access to email communications, potential data leakage through compromised user accounts, and increased attack surface for subsequent exploitation. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal technical skill, making it particularly dangerous as it can be leveraged by threat actors with varying levels of expertise.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-9517 should prioritize immediate patching of atmail installations to version 7.8.0.2 or later, which includes proper CSRF protection mechanisms. Organizations should implement additional security controls such as web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious request patterns, particularly those involving file upload and import operations. Network segmentation and access controls should be enforced to limit administrative access to the email system, while monitoring should be implemented to detect unusual user import activities. Security awareness training for administrators can help prevent social engineering attacks that might exploit this vulnerability, and regular security assessments should include testing for similar CSRF vulnerabilities in other web applications. The implementation of proper input validation, session management, and request origin verification mechanisms should be enforced across all web-based administrative interfaces to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in the future.