CVE-2018-18635 in MailCleaner CE
Summary
by MITRE
www/guis/admin/application/controllers/UserController.php in the administration login interface in MailCleaner CE 2018.08 and 2018.09 allows XSS via the admin/login/user/message/ PATH_INFO.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-18635 resides within the MailCleaner Community Edition administration interface, specifically in the UserController.php file located at www/guis/admin/application/controllers/UserController.php. This security flaw affects versions 2018.08 and 2018.09 of the MailCleaner software, representing a critical cross-site scripting vulnerability that can be exploited by malicious actors to compromise the administrative interface. The vulnerability manifests through the PATH_INFO parameter in the admin/login/user/message/ endpoint, which fails to properly sanitize user input before rendering it within the web interface.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability follows a classic XSS attack pattern where user-supplied data flows directly into the application's output without adequate sanitization or encoding. When an attacker crafts a malicious payload and injects it through the PATH_INFO parameter, the system processes this input as part of the login message display mechanism, subsequently executing the injected malicious code within the context of the victim's browser session. This flaw operates under CWE-79 which categorizes cross-site scripting vulnerabilities as a result of improper input validation and output encoding. The vulnerability specifically impacts the authentication flow of the MailCleaner administration interface, potentially allowing attackers to hijack administrative sessions, steal credentials, or perform unauthorized administrative actions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data theft, as it provides attackers with a foothold into the administrative control plane of the MailCleaner system. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could gain access to sensitive email filtering configurations, modify spam filtering rules, access email logs, and potentially compromise the entire email infrastructure protected by MailCleaner. The attack vector is particularly concerning because it does not require authentication to the system itself, making it accessible to anyone who can interact with the web interface. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1190 which describes exploiting vulnerabilities in web applications to gain access to administrative interfaces. The implications are severe as the administrative interface typically holds the highest privileges within the system, making this a critical security concern for organizations relying on MailCleaner for email security.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should focus on immediate input validation and output encoding measures. The primary fix involves implementing proper sanitization of all PATH_INFO parameters before they are rendered in the web interface, utilizing context-specific encoding techniques such as HTML entity encoding for output. Organizations should also implement comprehensive input validation that rejects or sanitizes any potentially malicious input patterns, particularly those associated with script tags or JavaScript execution. The fix should be implemented as a patch to the UserController.php file, ensuring that all user-provided data flowing through the admin/login/user/message/ endpoint undergoes strict validation and sanitization. Additionally, organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls to detect and block suspicious input patterns, and should conduct regular security assessments of their web applications to identify similar vulnerabilities. The vulnerability highlights the importance of following secure coding practices and adhering to OWASP top ten security guidelines for preventing XSS attacks in web applications.