CVE-2018-0559 in Mailwise
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting vulnerability in Cybozu Mailwise 5.0.0 to 5.4.1 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML 'Address' via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/21/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-0559 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within Cybozu Mailwise versions 5.0.0 through 5.4.1. This security weakness enables remote attackers to execute malicious web scripts or HTML code through unspecified vectors targeting the application's address handling functionality. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is a fundamental web application security issue that occurs when applications fail to properly validate or sanitize user input before rendering it in web pages. The specific impact affects the Address field within the Mailwise application, making it a prime target for attackers seeking to compromise user sessions or inject malicious content.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when the application processes user-supplied data in the Address field without adequate sanitization or encoding measures. Attackers can craft malicious input containing script tags or other HTML elements that get executed in the context of other users' browsers when they view the affected content. This type of vulnerability typically arises from insufficient input validation and output encoding practices within the application's data handling pipeline. The unspecified vectors suggest that multiple entry points or data processing methods within the Mailwise application could be susceptible to this attack, potentially including email address fields, contact information, or other address-related data inputs.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can lead to session hijacking, credential theft, and redirection to malicious websites. When users interact with compromised content, their browsers execute the injected scripts in the context of their authenticated sessions, potentially allowing attackers to access sensitive information or perform unauthorized actions on behalf of legitimate users. This vulnerability particularly affects organizations relying on Cybozu Mailwise for email management, as it creates a persistent threat vector that could compromise the entire email ecosystem. The attack surface is amplified when considering that email applications often contain sensitive corporate information and user credentials.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-0559 should prioritize immediate application updates to versions that address the identified XSS vulnerability. Organizations must implement comprehensive input validation and output encoding mechanisms to prevent malicious scripts from being processed or rendered. The implementation of Content Security Policy headers and proper HTML encoding of user-supplied data can significantly reduce the risk of exploitation. Additionally, network segmentation and monitoring solutions should be deployed to detect anomalous traffic patterns that may indicate attempted exploitation of this vulnerability. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to identify similar weaknesses in the application's codebase, as this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 which involves the exploitation of web application vulnerabilities for privilege escalation. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and maintaining up-to-date threat intelligence to protect against known exploitation patterns associated with this specific CVE.