CVE-2018-13103 in OX App Suite
Summary
by MITRE
OX App Suite 7.8.4 and earlier allows SSRF.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-13103 represents a server-side request forgery flaw within OX App Suite versions 7.8.4 and earlier. This security weakness enables malicious actors to manipulate the application's functionality by making unauthorized requests to internal systems that should otherwise be inaccessible to external users. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and sanitization within the application's request handling mechanisms, allowing attackers to inject arbitrary URLs or network addresses into the system's processing pipeline.
The technical implementation of this flaw involves the application's failure to properly validate and sanitize user-supplied input that is subsequently used to construct HTTP requests to external resources. When users interact with the application's web interface or API endpoints, they can potentially inject malicious parameters that cause the system to forward requests to internal network services or external malicious servers. This occurs because the application does not adequately filter or validate the target URLs before executing the requests, creating an attack surface that adversaries can exploit to bypass network segmentation controls and access internal resources.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability significantly increases the risk of lateral movement within network environments and potential data exfiltration. Attackers can leverage the SSRF capability to probe internal network services, potentially discovering and exploiting additional vulnerabilities in internal systems. The flaw can also be used to perform reconnaissance activities against internal infrastructure, including scanning for open ports, identifying running services, and potentially accessing sensitive internal databases or administrative interfaces. This represents a critical security concern for organizations relying on OX App Suite for email and collaboration services, as it undermines the fundamental security boundaries between external users and internal network resources.
Organizations should implement multiple layers of mitigation strategies to address this vulnerability effectively. The primary recommendation involves upgrading to OX App Suite versions that contain patches for this specific SSRF flaw, as vendor-provided updates typically include proper input validation and sanitization mechanisms. Network-level protections such as web application firewalls and proxy configurations should be configured to restrict outbound connections from the application servers and implement strict egress filtering rules. Additionally, implementing proper input validation at all application entry points, including API endpoints and web forms, can prevent malicious parameters from being processed. Security monitoring and logging should be enhanced to detect unusual outbound network requests that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-918, which specifically addresses server-side request forgery, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1071.004 for application layer protocol, where adversaries leverage such vulnerabilities to establish persistent access and conduct reconnaissance activities within compromised environments.