CVE-2018-0140 in Email Security Appliance
Summary
by MITRE
A vulnerability in the spam quarantine of Cisco Email Security Appliance and Cisco Content Security Management Appliance could allow an authenticated, remote attacker to download any message from the spam quarantine by modifying browser string information. The vulnerability is due to a lack of verification of authenticated user accounts. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by modifying browser strings to see messages submitted by other users to the spam quarantine within their company. Cisco Bug IDs: CSCvg39759, CSCvg42295.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/03/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-0140 resides within the spam quarantine functionality of Cisco Email Security Appliance and Cisco Content Security Management Appliance products. This weakness represents a critical authorization bypass flaw that fundamentally undermines the security boundaries designed to protect email communications within enterprise environments. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation mechanisms that fail to properly verify user authentication status when accessing quarantined email messages, creating a pathway for unauthorized data access that directly violates fundamental security principles of access control and privilege management.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability manifests through improper session management and insufficient input validation within the web interface components responsible for spam quarantine access. Attackers can exploit this flaw by manipulating browser request parameters and modifying string information within HTTP requests to gain access to email messages that belong to other authenticated users within the same organization. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which specifically addresses improper authorization issues in software systems, and demonstrates how inadequate access control validation can lead to severe information disclosure risks. The flaw essentially allows attackers to traverse the application's intended access controls by simply modifying browser strings, bypassing the normal authentication and authorization checks that should prevent cross-user data access.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-0140 extends beyond simple data exposure, as it enables attackers to potentially access sensitive corporate communications, personal information, and confidential business data that has been quarantined due to spam or malware detection. This vulnerability creates a significant risk for organizations using these Cisco appliances, as it allows a single authenticated attacker to access the complete quarantine contents of other users within their domain, potentially exposing intellectual property, financial data, or personal information. The attack vector requires only network access and authentication credentials for a valid user account, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited by both internal and external threat actors who have gained initial access to the email security infrastructure. The vulnerability directly impacts the confidentiality aspect of the CIA triad and can lead to compliance violations under regulations such as gdpr, hipaa, and other data protection frameworks.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying the relevant Cisco security patches and updates that address the authorization bypass vulnerability in the spam quarantine functionality. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual access patterns within the email security appliances, particularly around quarantine access activities. Security administrators should conduct thorough access control reviews and ensure that proper user account management practices are implemented to minimize the attack surface. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and request validation controls can help prevent parameter tampering attacks that exploit this vulnerability. The remediation process should also include regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify similar authorization bypass issues within the email security infrastructure. This vulnerability highlights the critical importance of implementing proper access control mechanisms and demonstrates how insufficient input validation can create severe security implications that affect the integrity and confidentiality of enterprise email communications. The flaw serves as a reminder of the essential need for robust authentication verification processes and proper session management in security-critical applications, particularly those handling sensitive corporate data and communications.