CVE-2020-1104 in SharePoint Enterprise Server
Summary
by MITRE
A spoofing vulnerability exists when Microsoft SharePoint Server does not properly sanitize a specially crafted web request to an affected SharePoint server, aka 'Microsoft SharePoint Spoofing Vulnerability'. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2020-1105, CVE-2020-1107.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/17/2020
The Microsoft SharePoint Server spoofing vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-1104 represents a critical security flaw that allows attackers to manipulate web requests in ways that can deceive users and systems. This vulnerability specifically manifests when SharePoint Server fails to adequately sanitize incoming web requests, creating opportunities for malicious actors to craft specially designed requests that can bypass normal security controls. The flaw exists within the server's request processing logic, where insufficient input validation and sanitization mechanisms permit crafted payloads to be interpreted in unexpected ways. This vulnerability falls under the broader category of web application security issues and demonstrates how improper handling of user-supplied data can lead to significant security implications. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the request level, meaning it can affect various SharePoint Server functionalities and potentially allow attackers to manipulate the server's behavior in ways that appear legitimate to users and monitoring systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of web request parameters or headers that SharePoint Server processes without proper validation. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting requests that contain specially formatted data which, when processed by the vulnerable server, can cause the system to behave in unintended ways. The sanitization failure occurs during the parsing or interpretation phase of web requests, where the server accepts input without sufficient filtering or encoding. This allows malicious payloads to be interpreted by the server's components in ways that can lead to content spoofing, where legitimate-looking content is displayed to users while the actual server behavior is manipulated. The vulnerability can potentially enable attackers to inject malicious content, manipulate session handling, or redirect users to malicious sites while maintaining the appearance of legitimate SharePoint functionality. This type of attack directly relates to CWE-113, which describes improper neutralization of characters or elements, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for the initial access phase through spearphishing attachments.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-1104 extends beyond simple data manipulation, as it can enable attackers to conduct more sophisticated attacks that leverage the trust relationships inherent in SharePoint environments. When exploited, this vulnerability can allow attackers to perform actions that appear to originate from legitimate SharePoint servers, making detection more difficult and potentially enabling privilege escalation scenarios. The vulnerability affects SharePoint Server's ability to distinguish between legitimate and malicious requests, which can lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information or modification of SharePoint content. Organizations using SharePoint Server may experience compromised user sessions, unauthorized content modification, and potential data exfiltration. The impact is particularly severe in environments where SharePoint servers handle sensitive business information or serve as central collaboration platforms where users trust the system's authenticity. The vulnerability can also facilitate more advanced attacks such as credential theft or lateral movement within networks where SharePoint servers are integrated with other systems. This represents a significant concern for enterprises that rely on SharePoint for document management, collaboration, and intranet services, as the spoofing capability can undermine the integrity of these critical business functions. The vulnerability's exploitation can also impact compliance requirements and data governance policies, as it creates potential pathways for unauthorized data access or modification that may not be properly logged or detected by standard security controls.