CVE-2018-7704 in SecurMail
Summary
by MITRE
SecurEnvoy SecurMail before 9.2.501 allows remote authenticated users to read arbitrary e-mail messages via the option1 parameter in a reply action to secmail/getmessage.exe.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/30/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-7704 affects SecurEnvoy SecurMail versions prior to 9.2.501, representing a critical access control flaw that enables remote authenticated attackers to bypass security restrictions and access confidential email communications. This vulnerability resides within the application's message handling mechanism, specifically in the reply action functionality exposed through the secmail/getmessage.exe endpoint. The flaw manifests when the application fails to properly validate user permissions or authenticate access requests for email retrieval operations, creating an unauthorized information disclosure vector that can be exploited by malicious actors with valid credentials.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and access control enforcement within the option1 parameter processing logic. When authenticated users submit requests through the reply action pathway, the system does not adequately verify whether the requesting user possesses legitimate authorization to access the target email message. This parameter processing failure creates a privilege escalation scenario where attackers can manipulate the option1 parameter to reference arbitrary email messages within the system's message store. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which describes insufficient authorization mechanisms, and represents a classic case of improper access control that allows unauthorized data access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it enables attackers to potentially access sensitive communications that may contain personal data, financial information, or confidential business correspondence. An attacker with valid login credentials can leverage this flaw to read messages from other users' mailboxes, effectively breaking down the application's security boundaries. This capability significantly undermines the confidentiality assurances that email security solutions are designed to provide, potentially exposing organizations to data breaches, privacy violations, and regulatory compliance issues. The vulnerability particularly affects environments where SecurEnvoy SecurMail is deployed for secure email communication, as it compromises the fundamental security premise of email isolation and access control.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including deploying the vendor-provided security patch for SecurEnvoy SecurMail version 9.2.501 or later, which addresses the access control validation issue. Network segmentation and monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual access patterns in the secmail/getmessage.exe endpoint, while access controls should be reviewed and strengthened to ensure proper authentication and authorization checks are enforced. Additionally, security teams should conduct comprehensive assessments of other endpoints within the application that may be susceptible to similar input validation issues, following the ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation techniques to identify and remediate related vulnerabilities. Regular security testing and code reviews should be implemented to prevent similar access control flaws in future development cycles, with particular attention to parameter validation and user permission checking mechanisms.