CVE-2018-9997 in App Suite
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in mail compose in Open-Xchange OX App Suite before 7.6.3-rev31, 7.8.x before 7.8.2-rev31, 7.8.3 before 7.8.3-rev41, and 7.8.4 before 7.8.4-rev28 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via the data-target attribute in an HTML page with data-toggle gadgets.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/03/2023
The CVE-2018-9997 vulnerability represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw within the Open-Xchange OX App Suite email composition functionality. This vulnerability specifically affects versions prior to the mentioned patches across multiple release branches including 7.6.3-rev31, 7.8.2-rev31, 7.8.3-rev41, and 7.8.4-rev28. The flaw manifests in the mail compose interface where user input containing HTML elements is not properly sanitized or validated before being rendered back to the browser. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious HTML content that includes data-target attributes within data-toggle gadgets, effectively bypassing the application's security controls. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, which is classified as a critical weakness in web application security.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when an attacker constructs a malicious email message containing specially crafted HTML elements with data-toggle attributes that reference data-target parameters. These parameters are processed by the application's JavaScript framework without proper input validation or sanitization, allowing malicious scripts to execute within the context of the victim's browser session. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it leverages legitimate application functionality to deliver malicious payloads, making it difficult to distinguish between benign and malicious content at runtime. The attack vector is remote and does not require authentication, meaning any user who views the malicious email in their inbox could be compromised.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script execution, as it can lead to complete session hijacking, credential theft, and data exfiltration. An attacker could craft emails that steal cookies, redirect users to phishing sites, or inject malicious code that persists across multiple sessions. The vulnerability affects the core email functionality of the application suite, potentially compromising thousands of users within an organization that utilizes Open-Xchange OX App Suite. Organizations using affected versions face significant risk of advanced persistent threats where attackers can maintain long-term access through the persistent nature of the XSS vulnerability. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, and T1566 for Phishing as part of the attack chain.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2018-9997 require immediate patching of all affected versions to the specified secure releases. Organizations should also implement additional security controls including strict HTML sanitization of user inputs, content security policies to prevent script execution, and regular security scanning of application components. Network-based solutions such as web application firewalls should be configured to detect and block suspicious HTML content patterns. Security teams should conduct thorough vulnerability assessments of the application environment to identify any potential exploitation attempts and implement monitoring for anomalous user behavior patterns that may indicate successful attacks. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of input validation and output encoding in preventing XSS attacks, reinforcing industry best practices outlined in OWASP Top 10 and NIST Cybersecurity Framework guidelines for web application security.