CVE-2018-0558 in Mailwise
Summary
by MITRE
Reflected cross-site scripting vulnerability in Cybozu Mailwise 5.0.0 to 5.4.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML in 'System settings' via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/21/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-0558 represents a critical reflected cross-site scripting flaw within Cybozu Mailwise email security software versions 5.0.0 through 5.4.1. This vulnerability resides in the system settings component of the application, creating a significant attack surface that could be exploited by remote threat actors. The flaw allows malicious users to inject arbitrary web scripts or HTML code into the application's interface, potentially compromising user sessions and enabling further malicious activities.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output encoding within the system settings module of Mailwise. When user-supplied data is reflected back to the browser without proper sanitization, attackers can craft malicious payloads that execute in the context of other users' browsers. This reflected nature means that the attack requires a victim to click on a specially crafted link containing the malicious script, which then gets executed when the victim accesses the vulnerable application. The vulnerability affects the administrative interface where system settings are configured, making it particularly dangerous as it could be exploited by attackers who have gained access to legitimate user accounts or by those who can influence administrative operations.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, as it creates potential pathways for more sophisticated attacks including session hijacking, credential theft, and privilege escalation. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access to the email security system, potentially compromising the entire email infrastructure that Mailwise protects. The reflected nature of the vulnerability means that attackers do not need to store malicious content on the server, making detection more challenging and allowing for rapid deployment of attacks across multiple targets. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-79 which specifically addresses cross-site scripting flaws, and could be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script injection and T1566 for social engineering attacks that exploit web application vulnerabilities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-0558 should prioritize immediate patching of affected Mailwise versions to the latest available releases that contain proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive web application firewall rules that can detect and block suspicious script injection attempts, particularly targeting common XSS attack patterns in system settings pages. Network segmentation and access controls should be enforced to limit exposure of the vulnerable application to untrusted networks. Additionally, security awareness training for administrators should emphasize the importance of validating all inputs and avoiding clicking on suspicious links that may contain crafted payloads designed to exploit such vulnerabilities. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar vulnerabilities in other web applications within the organization's infrastructure, as this vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper input sanitization in administrative interfaces.